Commercial law - Enhanced UK Consumer Protection Regime Now in Force

The UK’s new consumer protection regime came into force on 6 April 2025. The changes have been made by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act).

Although the DMCC Act is better known for creating a new digital markets regime regulating large technology platforms, a considerable part of it deals with consumer protection legislation, overhauling the previous regime. It introduces a new direct enforcement regime for the CMA and makes a number of changes to the substantive law, aimed at improving and modernising consumer rights to ensure they keep pace with market developments, in particular the trend towards online retail and advertising.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is due to publish its approach document shortly, which will set out its enforcement priorities for the first 12 months of the new regime. The CMA has indicated that its initial focus will be on the most serious infringements such as aggressive sales practices that prey on vulnerability, providing information to consumers that is objectively false and contract terms that are very obviously imbalanced and unfair. The approach document will also explain how the CMA will apply its ‘4Ps’ framework, with focus on pace, predictability, proportionality and process, to the new consumer protection regime.

The CMA makes it clear that it will support businesses who want to do the right thing but who may be unclear on exactly what is needed to ensure compliance, especially in areas where the law has been updated or there is less clear-cut precedent. It will take into account any proactive steps taken by businesses to remedy infringing conduct when deciding the appropriate level of a penalty. In addition, the CMA is running an extensive outreach business programme to assist businesses with understanding the changes and start preparing for the new regime.

For more information, see this briefing published by our Competition, Regulation and Trade team.