Guidance

Consumer protection: enforcement guidance (CMA58)

The CMA’s role in consumer protection and its approach to compliance and enforcement of consumer law.

• From: Competition and Markets Authority
• Published: 17 August 2016
• Last updated: 4 April 2025 — See all updates

Documents

Consumer protection: enforcement guidance

Ref: CMA58

PDF, 562 KB, 67 pages

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Details

This guidance provides an overview of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) role, functions and powers in relation to consumer protection.

It covers:

• our approach to enforcing consumer protection law
• our consumer protection powers, including direct enforcement powers, civil court-based enforcement powers, criminal powers and investigatory powers
• how we engage with others (both in the UK and internationally) on consumer protection issues

Read our simple guide to how we gather information about potential breaches of consumer law.

Published 17 August 2016

Last updated 4 April 2025 + show all updates

1. 4 April 2025

   Updated consumer protection enforcement guidance published.

2. 11 December 2024

   New consultation on updated CMA58 draft launched

3. 4 November 2020

   Updated supplementary note for transparency in consumer cases published.

4. 17 August 2016

   First published.