The chair of the competition watchdog has been forced to step down after an intervention by Labour ministers, as they try to send a pro-growth message to businesses gathered at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.

The business department confirmed that the Competition and Markets Authority chair, Marcus Bokkerink, was stepping down on Tuesday evening, just two years after being appointed. Most CMA chairs are expected to serve for up to five years.

One government source said it was no coincidence that Bokkerink was pushed out days after the CMA was hauled into Downing Street for a meeting with the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds.

The former Amazon UK boss Doug Gurr is expected to take over as CMA chair in the interim, according to the Financial Times, which first reported news of the move.

It is understood that Bokkerink’s departure is meant to send a pro-growth signal to businesses, as Reeves and Reynolds attend Davos to meet global business leaders.

The pair will use their trip to the Swiss ski resort to make a fresh push for new investment, by emphasising the UK’s political and economic stability and promoting the government as pro-business.

They are hosting a panel on Wednesday morning and Reeves is due to hold meetings with business leaders including the JPMorgan Chase chief executive, Jamie Dimon, the Goldman Sachs boss, David Solomon, and Jo Taylor, the president of giant Canadian pensions fund the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

The CMA was one of 17 regulators ordered to put forward proposals on how to ease the burden on businesses and help spur economic growth. Last week’s meeting was the first in a series of check-ins with regulators, in which ministers reviewed their plans and progress.

The Labour government has been heaping pressure on UK watchdogs to do more to support the economy, amid accusations that their work has been a barrier to inward investment.

The CMA was among regulators put on notice in October, when Keir Starmer used a speech at the government’s investment summit to promise that he would “rip out the bureaucracy that blocks investment” and ensure every regulator in the UK “takes growth as seriously as this room does”.

The watchdog was also publicly criticised in 2023 for initially blocking the takeover of the gaming developer Activision Blizzard by the US technology company Microsoft.

The CMA declined to comment.