Consumers left ‘in harm’s way’ by government’s failure to crack down on unsafe e-commerce

• Campaigners joined MP Neil Coyle to accuse Government of dragging its feet 
• New Bill falls shorts of forcing platforms to remove unsafe good when identified 

Consumers are being left ‘in harm’s way’ by Ministers’ failure to crack down on unsafe goods sold online, safety campaigners warned last night.

They joined with Labour MPs to accuse the Government of dragging its feet over new powers to force online market places to take down dangerous products once they are identified.

The Government is now proposing new measures to beef up digital market rules and consumers’ rights along with a planned ‘product safety review’.

Consumers are being left ‘in harm’s way’ by Ministers’ failure to crack down on unsafe goods sold online, campaigners warned last night

However, home safety charity Electrical Safety First hit out last night at the Government’s refusal to take up a proposal from Labour MP Neil Coyle for new ‘take-down’ powers to require online platforms to remove unsafe goods.

Lesley Rudd, the charity’s chief executive, said: ‘The Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Bill is a missed opportunity to address the scourge of unsafe goods sold on online marketplaces.”

‘Our investigations have repeatedly shown that, even once an unsafe product is identified, regulators do not have sufficient powers to force online marketplaces to remove that product.

‘Without a takedown power in the Bill, consumers will continue to be placed at risk from exploitative traders peddling unsafe goods that place consumers, their families, and their homes at risk.’

Ms Rudd also said the Government’s proposed product safety review was ‘long overdue’, adding: ‘Every day that this review is delayed is another day that the Government continues to place consumers in harm’s way.’

And Labour MP Mr Coyle said: ‘Ministers mustn’t stand idly by while unsafe goods pose risks to British homes and undermine British businesses.’

Enterprise Minister Kevin Hollinrake told MPs that the product safety review, to be carried out ‘very shortly’, was the ‘most appropriate vehicle for meeting concerns about unsafe goods sold online’.

However, Mr Hollinrake said that ‘we do not think the [online] marketplaces are going far enough.’

He added that online platforms like Amazon ‘just see themselves as marketplaces rather than distributors – our point is that they are distributors’.

Campaigners joined Labour MP Neil Coyle to accuse the Government of dragging its feet over new powers to force websites to withdraw dangerous products once they are identified

A Government spokesman said: ‘Goods sold in the UK must meet some of the strictest safety laws in the world and our tough rules mean products must always be safe before being placed on the market – whether online or on the high street.

Amazon said: ‘Safety is a top priority at Amazon and we want customers to shop with confidence on our stores.

‘We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations and we monitor for product safety concerns.

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