Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with technology companies on automatically renewed subscriptions for services and the ease of cancellation of those subscriptions.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 sets out new consumer protection rules for subscription contracts. Once the rules are in force, traders will have to provide clear information about subscription contracts before a consumer signs up, ensure that arrangements to exit the contract are straightforward, and provide a 14-day cooling-off period after a 12month+ contract or trial auto-renews.

Secondary legislation is required to implement the regime. We consulted on proposals and the Government Response can be found here: Consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime - GOV.UK

My officials and I have engaged with businesses from across the economy, including technology companies, and will continue to do so in advance of the new rules coming into force.