The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 were revoked

The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 were revoked on 6 April 2025, according to the legislation.gov.uk record of the instrument. The revocation was made by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (c. 13), sections 251(1) and 339(1), with sections 235, 243 and 252, and commenced by S.I. 2025/272, regulation 2(1)(3)¹.

The record states the revocation carries transitional provisions and savings in relation to Part 4A, which is continued until regulations are made under section 233 of the revoking Act¹. Part 4A was inserted by The Consumer Protection (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/870)³. The affected provisions now carry the status "This version of this provision no longer has effect", which the site explains generally means the provision has been repealed¹. The site records no known outstanding effects for the sections concerned¹.

Part 4A set out private rights of redress for consumers, including the right to unwind a business to consumer contract. Under regulation 27E, a consumer had that right where they indicated clearly to the trader that they rejected the product, within the relevant period and while the product was still capable of being rejected. The relevant period was 90 days beginning with the later of the day the consumer entered into the contract and the relevant day, defined by reference to first delivery of goods, the start of performance of a service, first supply of digital content, the start of a lease, or the day a right was first exercisable³. A consumer did not have the right to unwind if they had already exercised the right to a discount in respect of the same contract and the same prohibited practice³.

The 2008 Regulations covered misleading actions, misleading omissions and aggressive sales tactics, and included a blacklist of 31 banned practices, such as false limited time offers, according to Which?⁴. Which? states that the 2008 Regulations apply to conduct before 6 April 2025⁵. The same report notes that the Financial Conduct Authority's Consumer Duty, introduced in July 2022, requires that "a firm must act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers"⁵.

"Regulations revoked (6.4.2025 with transitional provisions and savings in relation to Pt. 4A, which is continued until regulations are made under s. 233 of the revoking Act)"

Why it matters for households

The 2008 Regulations were one of the general consumer protection routes available where a household was misled or pressured over a purchase, including home energy work such as insulation or heating. The record shows that route now closed for conduct on or after 6 April 2025, with the replacement regime sitting in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024¹. Which? states that the 2024 Act allows administrative fines of up to 10% of turnover where companies have broken the law⁴.

For a household that has already bought a heat pump or other efficiency measure, the timing of the conduct matters. Which? states the 2008 Regulations apply to conduct before 6 April 2025, so older disputes fall under the previous rules⁵. Part 4A, which carried the right to unwind, is continued until regulations are made under section 233 of the revoking Act, so the position on existing redress rights is not fully settled by the record alone¹.

Consumer credit protections sit separately. Which? notes that section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act enables a consumer who bought using a credit product to make a claim of up to £30,000 against the financial provider, and that any future reform of that Act should maintain it⁴. Installer certification is also separate: installers fitting a heat pump with a Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant must be certified by MCS or an equivalent scheme, and there is no requirement for new builds to use MCS installers⁵. The regulation and policy hub sets out how these regimes fit together, and TrustMark versus HIES covers installer protection schemes.

What happens next

The record states that Part 4A is continued until regulations are made under section 233 of the revoking Act¹. No date for those regulations has been reported.

Sources5 cited

1. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, legislation.gov.uk
2. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, legislation.gov.uk
3. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, legislation.gov.uk
4. Financing low carbon home heating, media.product.which.co.uk
5. Financing for low carbon home heating - Which?, which.co.uk