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Consumers will benefit from an end to so-called subscription traps and a crackdown on “pretend prices”, Andy Burnham has said.<\/b><\/p>\n
The prime minister is bringing forward a package of changes announced under his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, to make it easier to cancel subscriptions.<\/p>\n
Burnham is also planning to outlaw shops using fake “was” prices, which he said trick shoppers into thinking they are getting better value on purchases.<\/p>\n
Shadow chancellor Mel Stride branded the measures “reheated” and said the prime minister “has already run out of ideas”.<\/p>\n
The plans were announced under Sir Keir in April, but are being brought forward by Burnham’s government in a bid to give families “room to breathe” amid the high cost of living.<\/p>\n
Burnham, who is embarking on a tour of the UK while Parliament is in recess, has promised a series of “everyday fixes” to help people with the cost of living.<\/p>\n
He said: “I’m determined to pull every single lever we can to provide people with some room to breathe on the cost of living.”<\/p>\n
The measures being brought forward are aimed at making it easier for consumers to cancel unwanted subscriptions and stopping people being rolled onto expensive contracts without their knowledge.<\/p>\n
They were expected to come into force next spring, but Burnham’s government has promised they will now be implemented by January 2027.<\/p>\n
When they were announced in April, the government said the plans would save consumers \u00a3400m a year in total, or up to \u00a3170 per person.<\/p>\n
On top of the already planned changes, Burnham is also vowing to end shops’ use of “pretend prices”. This will stop retailers using “was” prices, made-up discounts or misleading recommended retail prices (RRPs) to highlight deals.<\/p>\n
The government will launch a consultation this autumn to decide how the new measures should be implemented.<\/p>\n
Consumer group Which? said it has “repeatedly exposed businesses, including trusted household brands, ripping off customers with dodgy deals that aren’t what they seem”.<\/p>\n
Its head of consumer rights policy, Sue Davies, welcomed the announcement and called for the government to bring the rules in “swiftly”.<\/p>\n
But Stride said: “The cost of living didn’t become a problem last week, so you have to ask why it has taken Labour so long to enact legislation passed by the previous government.” <\/p>\n
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act, passed under the Conservatives in 2024, cracked down on hidden fees, fake reviews online and made it easier for customers to cancel subscriptions. <\/p>\n
The announcement is Burnham’s latest intervention aimed at easing the cost of living, following a \u00a32 bus fare cap in England and a VAT cut on household electricity bills.<\/p>\n
But he is likely to come under pressure to make more significant changes in the Budget, which will be delivered by Chancellor John Healey on 28 October.<\/p>\n
But Healey has made it clear he will oversee “strong fiscal discipline” \u2013 which will limit how much the government has to spend.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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