That’s unlikely, say competition lawyers, analysts and company insiders, so the proposal will most likely fail.The Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) provisional view, published on Wednesday, was the deal should be blocked in the absence of the sale of a large number of stores, or even one of the brands.

It acknowledged the two companies were unlikely to be able to address its concerns.”The only way you get there is you have to have the CMA do a fundamental u-turn on the way they’ve appraised it,” said one person familiar with Sainsbury’s thinking. “And if they (the CMA) are playing the politics, then there’s no chance they’re going to do that.”Sainsbury and Asda have until March 13 to respond to the CMA’s provisional findings and until March 6 to respond to its su…