The move is part of a broader wave of initiatives during Burnham’s first 29 days in office, as Labour’s Burnham seeks to reduce everyday costs, expand public ownership and government intervention, boost regional economic growth and reform public services.
One such policy involves cracking down on “subscription traps” as part of efforts to ease UK’s cost-of-living pressures. Subscription traps are business practices that make it easy for consumers to sign up for recurring subscriptions but difficult to realize they are being charged regularly or to cancel them.
With UK consumers spending billions of pounds on subscriptions every year, the new rules aim to protect customers from unwanted recurring payments and give them greater control over how and when they cancel.
Impending UK regulations brought forward to January 2027
The UK government began addressing subscription traps in 2021 as part of a wider review of competition and consumer law after research found that consumers were spending up to £1.8 billion a year on subscriptions they considered poor value, particularly those that automatically renewed or were difficult to cancel.
In 2022, the Conservative government introduced the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill, which proposed clearer subscription information, renewal reminders and easier cancellation. Parliament passed these measures into law through the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 in May 2024, creating new protections such as cancellation rights and cooling-off periods.
After the Labour Party came to power, former Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government consulted on implementing the new rules in November 2024 and, in April 2026, announced measures that it estimated could save consumers around £400 million a year.
After becoming Prime Minister in July 2026, Burham accelerated the timetable, moving the measures forward to January 2027.
“I know people are sick and tired of rip-off discounts and subscription traps,” he shared in a statement given outside 10 Downing Street.
“Westminster has got used to telling people that everyday hassles like this are just part of life. I don’t think that’s right, especially when the cost of living continues to weigh heavily on so many people’s lives. I’m determined to pull every single lever we can to provide people with some room to breathe on the cost of living.”
Implications for the industry
The new policy will require businesses to provide customers with clear information before they sign up for a subscription, including the price, renewal arrangements, payment dates and how to cancel.
The policy also requires businesses to remind customers before certain subscription payments are taken. For example, businesses must remind customers when a free or discounted trial is coming to an end and explain how they can cancel.
Businesses must provide a straightforward cancellation process, so customers should not have to go through unnecessarily complicated procedures to stop their subscription. In some circumstances, consumers will also receive a 14-day cooling-off period, allowing them to cancel after a trial or certain long-term renewals.
Could new UK rules dampen the appeal of supplement subscriptions?
According to a Ken Research report (July 2026), online sales will account for 36.5% of the supplement market by 2031, up from 28% in 2025. The report notes that as more consumers buy supplements online, brands have greater opportunities to turn one-off purchases into recurring subscriptions. It also notes that brands can increase subscription profitability by retaining customers for longer and controlling the cost of acquiring new subscribers, allowing them to generate more repeat sales without repeatedly paying to attract the same customers.
Many UK supplement and health brands, including Myprotein, Huel, Wild Nutrition, Rheal …. offer recurring subscription models…
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Commenting on the measures announced, Sean Ali, co-founder of Rheal Superfoods, said he supports the changes, as repeat customers should be actively choosing to make a purchase.
“We welcome measures that give customers greater clarity and control over their subscriptions,” he said. “Brands should earn subscription loyalty by offering genuine convenience and value—not by making it difficult to leave.
“At Rheal, we want customers to stay because our products have become a valued part of their daily routine. Making subscriptions transparent, flexible and easy to manage is therefore completely aligned with how we believe subscriptions should operate.”
Jonathan Relph, founder of Vitl said that one of the company’s founding principals was to offer a subscription model that meant customers could manage it with ease.
“Broadly, we welcome the changes,” Relph said. “We’ve always believed that a subscription model only works in the long term if customers genuinely want to stay subscribed, rather than because it’s difficult to leave.”
He added that for Vitl, many of the proposed measures were already in place, and therefore, despite being one of the pioneers of the supplement subscription model, it wont need to make great adjustements.
Relph also noted that bringing in ‘sensible regulation’ measures could be a positive thing, potentially building more consumer confidence in brands’ offerings.
“Subscriptions are particularly useful for products people consume regularly, but they depend on trust,” he said.
“Removing practices that make consumers feel trapped should ultimately strengthen confidence in good subscription businesses.”
