Oral Answers to Questions

Meg Hillier Excerpts

Thursday 11th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I will be there on Friday with the Chorley posties.

[Dame Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)]

4. What steps he is taking to regulate e-bike batteries.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Kate Dearden)]

I know that my hon. Friend is aware of the dangers posed by unsafe e-bike batteries; 170 e-bike fires were recorded in 2024, mostly in London. Product safety laws require that businesses supply only safe consumer products, including e-bike batteries. Last year, my Department introduced new statutory guidelines to strengthen battery safety. The regulators enforce the rules; since 2022, the Office for Product Safety and Standards has published 24 recalls and 65 safety reports for unsafe e-bike batteries and related products. The new Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 enables Government to update the law to respond to new technologies and high-risk products.

[Dame Meg Hillier]

I welcome that response and the fact that the Government are leaning into this issue, because it is causing a great deal of risk. One of the challenges is that in order to upgrade bikes and extend their range, people often buy these batteries from non-regulated suppliers, and those are the dangerous ones. Will the Minister look further into how the Department could work with the rest of Government to try to regulate illegal sales?

[Kate Dearden]

My hon. Friend knows how vital consumer safety is for e-bike users and advocates passionately for their regulation, and I would be happy to work with her further on this. The Office for Product Safety and Standards has powers to remove unsafe products from the UK market and has taken action to prevent those dangerous models of UPP brand e-bike batteries from being sold. As I mentioned, the Department last year introduced new statutory guidelines. I would be happy to work with my hon. Friend and across Government on this important issue for her constituents.