Collective Enforcement of Consumer Rights in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This chapter arose out of a conference convened at Bayreuth University in 2014, to consider collective and public interest enforcement of consumer rights in Europe. This chapter evaluates procedural mechanisms for collective enforcement of consumer rights in the United Kingdom, including scrutiny of generic public and private law mechanisms, and regulatory redress schemes. Vertical comparisons are made with the European Union Recommendation on Collective Redress, and in context of the wider objectives of the publication to draw horizontal comparisons with other European jurisdictions.

Keywords: public interest; litigation; collective claims; collective action; collective redress; consumer rights; compensation; damages; European Union law; United Kingdom;