Burnham launches crackdown on ‘rip-off’ Britain with fake discounts and subscription traps PM promises ‘everyday fixes’ to put money back in household pocketsAndy Burnham has launched a crackdown on what he calls “rip-off” business practices, promising to ban misleading discounts and make it much easier for consumers to escape unwanted subscriptions. The measures are being presented as the first of a series of “everyday fixes” designed to put the cost of living at the centre of his premiership, with ministers estimating the changes could save consumers around £400 million a year. Fake discounts in the firing lineRetailers will face new restrictions on misleading pricing practices, including fake “was” prices, invented reductions and deceptive recommended retail prices. The aim is to stop companies artificially increasing prices before announcing apparently spectacular discounts. “If something is advertised as half price, it should actually be half price,” Burnham said, arguing that families struggling with tight budgets should be able to trust the deals being offered to them. Ministers will consult in the autumn before bringing in the new rules, with Downing Street hoping to introduce them without a lengthy parliamentary battle. Subscription traps targetedThe government is also bringing forward new protections against subscription traps from next spring to January. Companies will have to provide clearer information when customers sign up, remind them regularly that they are paying for a service and make cancellation substantially easier. Customers will also receive a 14-day cooling-off period after a free or discounted trial ends or a longer-term contract renews. The government says the average person has around three subscriptions and spends approximately £500 a year on them. Across Britain there are estimated to be 155 million active subscriptions, with roughly £1.6 billion being spent each year on unwanted ones. Can small fixes make a big difference?Burnham is clearly betting that tackling the irritating costs and traps of everyday life can make his government feel more useful to voters. He has promised further measures over the coming months and says he will spend the summer travelling around Britain asking people what problems they want government to fix. The political challenge is obvious: banning fake discounts and making Netflix-style subscriptions easier to cancel may be popular, but households facing much larger pressures on mortgages, rents, energy, food and taxation may want considerably more than a series of relatively small interventions. Still, Burnham is attempting to establish a distinctive message: government should make everyday life easier, rather than simply announcing another grand political programme. Whether voters notice the difference will be the real test. SOURCE
