Prime Minister Andy Burnham has vowed to tackle two major 'rip-offs' that people in Britain are 'sick and tired of': subscription traps and deceptive discount offers. He is promising 'everyday fixes' for rising bills.
New measures to curb subscription traps
On Monday, Burnham will accelerate plans to require companies to make cancelling subscriptions easier and provide clearer upfront cost information, rather than quietly auto-renewing at higher prices. The changes, announced in April, were expected in spring but will now come into force in January.
Consultation on deceptive discounts
He will also launch a consultation on adding deceptive discount offers to the Competition and Markets Authority's banned practices list. This would enable the watchdog to punish firms that inflate prices artificially before offering a 'discount' to make products appear better value.
Burnham said: "I know people are sick and tired of rip-off discounts and subscription traps. Westminster has got used to telling people that everyday hassles like this are just part of life. I don’t think that’s right, especially when the cost of living continues to weigh heavily on so many people’s lives."
Summer listening tour
Burnham plans to spend much of August travelling the country in 'listening mode', focusing on cost of living and high streets. He is expected to announce a series of 'everyday fixes' and promised to "pull every single lever we can to provide people with some room to breathe on the cost of living".
Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, welcomed the proposals, calling subscription traps and deceptive discounts "a widespread problem". Citizens Advice found 26% of UK adults had accidentally taken out a subscription in a year; the Government says its action could save households £14 per month.
Reaction and criticism
Further announcements are expected over the summer, with Burnham describing Monday's proposals as "just the start". Opposition figures have criticised the August plans as a "vanity tour" offering only "tinkering" and urged broader tax cuts.
The summer tour follows Burnham's first-day pledge to give the public "breathing space" on bills, including VAT cuts on household energy and a £2 bus fare cap. Rising costs remain a major issue, with inflation higher than expected due to the Iran war fallout. An Ipsos poll at the end of July found 30% listed the economy as a major concern and 22% cited inflation or prices.
Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: "Andy Burnham has already run out of ideas. 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. Labour’s tax hikes have sent costs soaring for hardworking families and destroyed jobs. Consultations and reheated measures won’t make up for that."
