Credit: Regulation

(asked on 9th March 2026) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the legal age at which an individual may enter into consumer credit and legally binding contracts.


Answered by
Lucy Rigby Portrait
Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
This question was answered on 16th March 2026

Capacity to contract is a core principle in British contract law and is designed to protect people who lack the necessary capacity to enter into a binding agreement. Most adults, typically those who are aged 18 and over, are presumed to possess contractual capacity.

The Consumer Credit Act (1974) makes it a criminal offence to offer credit to a minor.

Reticulating Splines