Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps his Department has taken to identify and investigate online retailers that misrepresent themselves as UK-based businesses.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions (such as online retailers that misrepresent themselves as UK-based), that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decision.

The CMA and Trading Standards are responsible for investigating any breaches of misrepresentation (along with HMRC if any breaches of customs rules and duties are indicated).