Products on British shelves are to stay branded with an EU “conformity” symbol after the government announced yet another Brexit climbdown.
Ministers confirmed on Tuesday that they would keep the “CE” mark on products indefinitely – a move welcomed by businesses as a pragmatic step.
The latest U-turn comes after Rishi Sunak scrapped a plan to replace all EU laws by the end of this year amid concerns the idea was unworkable.
Confirming the policy change on the CE mark, business minister Kevin Hollinrake said the government had “listened” to concerns.
“The government is tackling red tape, cutting burdens for business, and creating certainty for firms – we have listened to industry, and we are taking action to deliver,” he said.
“By extending CE marking use across the UK, firms can focus their time and money on creating jobs and growing the economy.”
The CE mark had been due to be replaced by the UKCA symbol – denoting that products conformed to the safety, health, and environmental protection requirements of British law.
Yet while the government had touted Brexit as an opportunity to ditch red tape, manufacturers said they were concerned the change would actually create more bureaucracy and raise costs for them.
Britain would be the only market in the world using the UKCA mark, while the CE mark is recognised across Europe.
Under the government’s latest decision, firms in the UK will now be able to choose which system to use on their products. Surveys suggest firms would overwhelmingly prefer to stick with the more widely-recognised CE.
The British Chambers of Commerce says that in a 2021 survey of businesses just 8 per cent wanted to ditch the EU marking system and 59 per cent of companies impacted by the decision wanted to keep it.
The business lobby group welcomed the government’s change of heart on the matter.
“Businesses will breathe a sigh of relief that the government has decided to take a pragmatic approach to the safety marking of products sold in Great Britain,” said William Bain, the organisation’s head of trade policy.
“With inflation still high and interest rates continuing to rise, this announcement will bring some welcome respite. There would be significant costs involved in removing the usage of the CE mark, even for just the UK internal market.”
He noted that the policy change would also help firms doing business in Northern Ireland, adding: “The BCC strongly made the case for continued use of CE marking to Government for more than two years. It is a relief to see the strong voice of businesses across the UK being acted upon.”
