Time is tight to get the best Brexit deal for consumers

Since Which? first tested a kettle in an east London garage more than 60 years ago, we’ve witnessed huge shifts in what it means to be a consumer in Britain.

On the whole, things have changed for the better.

Now Brexit looms large on the horizon – and looks set to cause the biggest upheaval the consumer landscape has seen in many years.

Brexit is an opportunity to improve the situation of consumers – if the Government acts now to ensure the moment doesn’t pass it by.

Living where I do, in the South West, I’m acutely aware of the impact leaving the EU could have on the farming community.

The Government should use leaving the EU as an opportunity to jettison the inefficient and wasteful Common Agricultural Policy and replace it with a joined-up national food and farming policy that ensures food is produced in a way that meets the standards we know people expect and fulfils the nation’s health needs.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and trading standards services around the country are limited in scope and often lack the resources to take effective action. Yet both are likely to face a much greater volume of work after Brexit.

The CMA will potentially need to deal with complex investigations currently handled by the European Commission, as well as mergers and anti-competitive behaviour from firms operating across Europe and the UK.

Likewise, at Which? our research has shown that the current product safety regime – underpinned by local trading standards services hit by funding cuts – is not fit for purpose.

People are right to question why that system has allowed more than a million potentially dangerous Whirlpool tumble dryers to remain in their homes.

We need to have a far more robust system for testing, safety standards and recall of faulty products – supported by effective and wellresourced consumer enforcement authorities. With control over all aspects of consumer protection, the UK can achieve something special in this area.

All these issues and more are covered in our Which? Brexit

Reform farming and stand up for product safety, says Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith

Charter, which sets out the nine priority areas where we think the Government needs to deliver immediately if it is to deliver a good deal for consumers.

Promises of Britain leading a “race to the top” in standards are welcome, but we need firm commitments on how they’ll be prioritised in the negotiations and beyond.

At Which?, we’re not arguing for a hard Brexit or a soft Brexit – all we ask is that the needs of consumers are given the priority they deserve.

We believe the success of Brexit will ultimately be judged by how it delivers on these small but vital areas for all our lives.

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Which? is calling for a joined-up food and farming policy after Brexit