A chorus of voices from the news, publishing and tech sectors – and even online dating sites – have come together to express concern over PM Andy Burnham’s move to bring forward measures to end so-called “subscription traps.”
The PM wants to make subscriptions easier to cancel and force companies to make it clear when contracts auto-renew at a higher price.
The plans were originally announced under Keir Starmer, however Burnham has moved to speed up the proposed changes as part of his “everyday fixes” package to tackle the cost of living. New regulations are now expected in January 2027 rather than the initially proposed spring.
But the accelerated timeline has led to criticism from sections of the industry, resulting in a joint statement from the News Media Association, which represents news media at a national, regional and local level, techUK, the Online Dating and Discovery Association and the Professional Publishers Association.
The statement said: “We are deeply disappointed that, despite repeated assurances about a proper implementation period, Ministers have decided to rush forward with the new subscriptions regime, leaving businesses with little or no time to prepare.
“These were public commitments, and responsible businesses – who were never the intended targets of the new regime – planned around them in good faith.
“Ultimately it is consumers who will be short-changed, as the businesses providing services enjoyed and relied upon by millions are left scrambling to adapt to an entirely arbitrary new deadline – diverting valuable resources that would otherwise go into building better products.”
In a separate statement, News Media Association chief executive Theo Bamber added: “Growth and effective consumer protection both depend on government working closely with the businesses affected by complex new regulations such as the incoming subscriptions regime.
“Yet government has rushed out an announcement about a drastically reduced timeline for implementation despite repeated assurances – including a Ministerial statement to Parliament – that publishers would be given sufficient time to prepare.
“Subscriptions are central to the business models of news media publishers, and a key growth area for the local publishers whose journalism and scrutiny of power at a local level will be crucial to the success of devolution.
“We call on the Competition and Markets Authority and government to ensure that there is an adjustment period where the regulator will support businesses with compliance efforts, as there has been for similar consumer law changes under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act.”
