Five key laws passed this week from petrol to pets, Post Office and blood payouts
Five crucial new laws have been passed in the last seven days before Parliament was dissolved for the General Election
With Rishi Sunak calling a snap election, Parliament has been cut short and several laws that were in the offing - such as the smoking age ban - have been put on hold, while others were quickly rushed through to beat the deadline.
Below are five key laws that have been passed in the past seven days and their effects on everything from petrol to pets, blood compensation and property purchases.
Parliament has now been prorogued - which means no more laws can be passed before the General Election on July 5 - but these laws have been given the Royal Assent, the final symbolic yet vital step which sees King Charles rubber stamp them into force.
Every new law passed this week and what they mean
Petrol and diesel sale law - The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act
A new law has been introduced to strengthen the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority). The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act has been made law.
One power this law has is the ability for government to identify and report market abuses such as those in the sale of petrol and diesel. The RAC week explained how diesel prices in the UK are the highest in Europe.
The law says: “The Act will also give new powers to the CMA to closely monitor road fuel prices and report any sign of malpractice to the government.”
Recently the CMA famously had a run-in with Microsoft over its buyout of Activision for Xbox, which was initially blocked by the CMA, threatening to put a stop to its $70billion acquisition.
The law also applies to subscription services and makes fake reviews illegal.
Victims and Prisoners Bill
The Infected Blood Compensation body from the Victims and Prisoners Bill.
The bill means the infected blood scandal which left more than 30,000 people with HIV or hepatitis, will see victims paid compensation to those living with the virus due to a ‘catalogue of failures’ by the NHS in the 1970s through to the 1990s.
The law also sets up the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to make payments to victims and their families.
Post Office Horizon System Offences Act 2024
This act means convictions for postmasters have been quashed. In the Horizon scandal, an IT system wrongly accused innocent postmasters of stealing from the Post Office. Many had their lives ruined, sent to prison and forced to repay massive sums. Since an ITV drama popularised the scandal, the government has acted fast and now prosecutions brought by the CPS or the Post Office between 1996 and 2018 are being wiped away with criminal records deleted too.
Ban on leasehold properties - The Leasehold and Freehold Reforms Act
The Leasehold and Freehold Reforms Act became law on May 24. Among various changes, it means new leasehold properties have been banned from sale entirely. All new property sales from now must be freehold apart from in some exceptional circumstances.
The law also gives powers to existing freeholders - most people in new build houses and flats - to renew their leasehold for a long period, cheaply, with the default leasehold being changed to 990 years (whereas now the average is around 125 years from new).
Pet Abduction Act 2024
The new pet abduction bill makes it an offence for anyone to steal a pet. The law sets out a fine, and up to five years in prison.
The law states: “The new law recognises that cats and dogs are not inanimate objects but sentient beings capable of experiencing distress and other emotional trauma when they are stolen from their owners or keepers.”
The law also builds upon a new law which states all cats must be microchipped by June 10.
