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Government to consult on major new measures to protect
consumers from unsafe products
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This includes products sold online to ensure online
marketplaces are held to the same high standards for product
safety as bricks and mortar stores
- Changes will help create a level playing field that supports
responsible businesses
Consumers to benefit from better protections from unsafe products
as a result of major new reforms, being set out today for
consultation.
Using powers provided by the Product Regulation and Metrology Act
2025, new measures will strengthen protections for consumers,
clamp down on unscrupulous sellers, and clarify business
responsibilities, to ensure the UK's regulatory system is fit for
the future.
The existing system has been stretched to its limit by
increasingly globalised supply chains, rapid technological
change, and the rise of online shopping, which have made it all
too easy for dangerous products to reach consumers.
Serious incidents - including fires caused by lithium-ion
batteries in products like e-bikes - highlight the real risks
posed by unsafe products and are why Government is acting now to
update the system.
MP, Minister for Consumer
Protection, said:
“These reforms are about making our product safety system fit for
the modern world - shutting loopholes, clamping down on unsafe
online sales, and giving responsible businesses the certainty
they need to grow.
“People need to trust the products they buy and use every day, so
I'm urging consumer groups, businesses and the public to have
their say and help us build a safer future.”
The Government is publishing three consultations with proposals
to update product safety rules. The first includes proposals for
the new framework to cover a wider scope of products – this will
reduce ‘gaps' and possible loopholes in consumer protection and
include updating how a ‘safe' product is defined and assessed.
Also included are proposals to clarify the definitions of
businesses in scope of the new framework to make sure everyone
involved in the supply of products has the responsibility to
proactively protect consumers from dangerous products.
A second consultation sets out reforms which will make it simpler
to enforce product safety rules, helping to ensure consistent,
swift and effective action where issues are found.
The Government will also introduce legislation to give businesses
more flexibility in how certain products are labelled. This
includes allowing important information, such as the UKCA marking
and importer details, to be provided in different physical
formats, as well as digitally. The Government is also consulting
on expanding the flexibility to label products digitally to
additional products and businesses.
Alongside the two broad product safety framework consultations,
the Government is today also publishing a third consultation to
review the UK's furniture fire safety regulations.
Consultations are open for 12 weeks and will close on 17 June
2026.
Stakeholders, businesses, consumer groups, and the public are
encouraged to respond and help shape a safer, more modern
regulatory system.
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