United Kingdom: Consumer Law

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched its first investigations under the enhanced consumer protection regime introduced by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. These investigations target online pricing practices, pressure selling tactics, and fake or misleading consumer reviews, with three completed cases resulting in infringement decisions, penalties, and consumer redress measures. The CMA has also issued advisory letters to over a hundred businesses regarding compli

CAP and BCAP have published new guidance on how the advertising codes apply when advertisers use accessibility features such as audio description, closed captions and signing. The message is simple but important: if an ad contains material information, that information must not be lost to consumers who rely on those features.

In its annual plan for 2026-2027, published in March, the CMA said it would focus consumer enforcement on the clearest and most serious harms, including terms that are obviously imbalanced or unfair.