Which? – Missed opportunity for much-needed reform of consumer and competition policy in Queen’s Speech

Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Which?, said:

“Competition and consumer protection policies that provide consumers with the right protections are of critical importance to the UK economy and its post-pandemic recovery, so it is disappointing that there is no legislation that focuses on much-needed reforms in these areas in today’s Queen’s Speech.

“A lack of competition harms consumers by leading to less choice and higher prices. Consumers also need to feel as though regulators, given proper enforcement powers by the government, are on their side when companies abuse their market positions or fail to fulfil their responsibilities under consumer rights law – as so many people have experienced during the pandemic.

“The government has consulted on ways to improve this policy for years. It must seize the opportunity to strengthen competition and consumer policy to make it work better for consumers and give regulators, including the Competition and Markets Authority, the powers they need to intervene when businesses fail to comply.”

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