How Brexit will affect consumers?
11 February 2020
The EU Justice Sub-Committee holds a one-off evidence session with representatives from Citizens' Advice and Which? to consider whether leaving the EU could lower consumer protection in the UK.
Background
As a member of the EU, the UK was covered by a wide-range of EU consumer protection laws – from compensation for passengers when their travel is disrupted, to rules on food safety, standardised energy efficiency labelling, and bans on misleading advertising. The UK was also a member of a number of EU agencies that help protect consumers: the European Food Safety Agency, the European Medicines Agency and the European Aviation Safety Agency.
Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK's membership of all EU agencies ended at the end of January; pending any future agreements with the EU, EU law will cease to apply at the end of the year.
The House of Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee, therefore, is examining how Brexit will affect the rights of UK consumers and what the UK Government needs to do to ensure that consumers are adequately protected.
Witnesses
Tuesday 11 February in Committee Room 3, Palace of Westminster
At 10.45am
- Matthew Upton, Director of Policy at Citizens Advice
- Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Protection at Which?
Areas of discussion
Topics likely to be covered include:
- whether the Government should seek continued cooperation with the EU on consumer protection issues;
- how the future UK-EU relationship might work in this regard; and
- whether Brexit could result in a reduction in consumer protection standards.