CMA publishes guidance on its approach to direct consumer protection

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published a 19-page document on 7 April 2025 setting out its approach to direct consumer protection¹. The document describes how the CMA "will help grow the economy, by promoting consumer trust and confidence, and deterring poor corporate practices"¹.

The CMA said the document sets out its ambitions for consumer protection and "the approach it will take under the new consumer protection regime"¹. According to the published details, that approach covers how the CMA will reflect a framework of "pace, proportionality, predictability and process", its likely areas of focus, and what stakeholders including businesses, consumer groups and other enforcers can expect¹.

Alongside the approach document, the CMA published final guidance on unfair commercial practices¹. The approach document is available as a PDF of 305 KB running to 19 pages¹.

The publication does not set out specific rules, rates or deadlines in the material issued on 7 April 2025. The detail of the new consumer protection regime itself, and the timetable for its commencement, are not set out in the published document, and no further dates have been reported¹.

Why it matters for households

The document concerns how the CMA will use its consumer protection powers, which affect the relationship between households and the businesses they buy from. The CMA frames its role around promoting consumer trust and confidence and deterring poor corporate practices¹, which is the part of its work that bears on how firms treat individual customers.

The document is addressed in part to what businesses, consumer groups and other enforcers can expect from the CMA¹. For households, that means the practical effect will depend on how the CMA applies the framework it has described, including its stated emphasis on pace, proportionality, predictability and process, and on the areas of focus it has identified¹. The published material does not name specific sectors, firms or practices as targets, and does not set out any change to the rights households hold against traders.

The separate final guidance on unfair commercial practices, published at the same time, sits alongside the approach document¹. The published details do not state when the new consumer protection regime takes effect or which parts of it apply from which date, and no commencement date has been reported¹.

What happens next

No next steps, consultation dates or commencement dates are set out in the published material. The document was published on 7 April 2025 and the page carries no further updates¹.