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UPDATES: Online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay are set to face tougher legal duties after the Product Regulation and Metrology Act gained Royal Assent. The new law promises stronger powers to tackle unsafe goods sold online, but consumer groups warn its success will hinge on bold follow-up rules to finally rein in dangerous products and hold platforms fully accountable ...

UPDATES: A landmark new law strengthens regulators' powers over unsafe products and places greater responsibility on online marketplaces, marking a significant shift in UK product safety enforcement.

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UPDATES: CTSI has cautiously welcomed new funding announced in the Government’s Spending Review, including billions for councils and targeted investment for tobacco and vape enforcement. While the plans offer fresh opportunities for Trading Standards, key questions remain over local priorities, ringfencing and whether frontline services will truly see the benefits ...

UPDATES: CTSI has welcomed the Spending Review’s projected rise in local authority funding and new investment linked to tobacco and vapes enforcement, while warning that Trading Standards will still need local prioritisation. The response sets out both the opportunities and the risks for services facing reform, devolution and digital change.

UPDATES: New rules under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act are ending drip pricing and fake reviews, bringing greater transparency to online shopping and stronger protections for consumers at the point of purchase.

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ANALYSIS: A new government, a packed legislative agenda and rising expectations of enforcement – what does it all mean for Trading Standards? From product safety and online marketplaces to tobacco control, renters’ rights and planning reform, this article breaks down the key Bills moving through parliament ...

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ANALYSIS: Justin Madders, Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets, reveals how Trading Standards protects consumers, supports businesses, and tackles rogue traders in a rapidly changing digital world. From online marketplaces to Net Zero initiatives, Madders highlights the critical role of enforcement, funding, and modern regulation in creating a safer, fairer, and more confident economy ...

ANALYSIS: With a new government, major consumer legislation and growing pressure on local enforcement, Justin Madders sets out how ministers view Trading Standards’ role in safer markets and economic growth. The interview ranges from online marketplaces and product safety to Net Zero, regulatory reform and the value of properly supported local expertise.

UPDATES: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would phase out tobacco sales by raising the legal age of purchase each year, introduce tighter controls on vaping products and give enforcement teams new powers to tackle underage sales.

UPDATES: CTSI has welcomed the Government's proposed consumer protection reforms but warns that stronger laws on renters' rights, product safety, tobacco and vapes will achieve little unless Trading Standards receives the funding needed to enforce them.

ANALYSIS: The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act represents one of the biggest changes to consumer law in years. This assessment examines its development, new enforcement powers and what the legislation will mean in practice for Trading Standards.

UPDATES: Following the announcement of the General Election, CTSI outlines the consumer protection priorities it wants the next government to address, from enforcement powers to product safety and fair markets.

OPINION: Ambitious tobacco control proposals promise long-term public health benefits, but achieving a smoke-free generation will depend on sustained commitment, effective enforcement and lasting behavioural change.

UPDATES: The Government has launched a consultation designed to help improve transparency, fairness and clarity for shoppers following the publication of...

UPDATES: The Government has reversed plans to phase out CE marking, confirming that UKCA and CE markings can continue to be used in Great Britain and providing businesses with greater regulatory certainty.

ANALYSIS: Yvonne Fovargue began her career as a Housing Officer in the Moss Side area of Manchester in the early 1980s and went on to work at the then-Citizens Advice Bureau in St Helens before entering...

ANALYSIS: Lawyers will always find new and inventive ways to argue their clients’ causes. Sometimes they will win. That said, for a prosecution to fail because of an unforced error on the part of the prosecutor...

OPINION: CTSI’s policy work on vaping has pushed underage sales, illicit products and enforcement pressures up the national agenda, securing media attention and stronger government engagement on a growing frontline concern.

UPDATES: CTSI welcomes the Government's decision to abandon the Retained EU Law sunset clause, while warning that hundreds of laws still require scrutiny to ensure vital consumer protections are not lost.

UPDATES: Trading Standards and consumer rights were in the spotlight yesterday evening (6 February) in the House of Lords...