Draft Marking of Retail Goods Regulations 2025

Parliament approved the Draft Marking of Retail Goods Regulations 2025 on 30 June 2025, by 315 votes to 4. The regulations give the Secretary of State a contingency power to require "not for EU" labelling on retail goods sold in Great Britain, to be activated only where evidence shows that businesses are withdrawing from the Northern Ireland market because of EU labelling requirements. The practical effect of the regulations is to protect the supply and variety of retail goods available to consumers in Northern Ireland. Under the Windsor Framework's Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme, goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland must comply with EU SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) rules, including labelling requirements. If businesses judge the cost of dual compliance too high, they may stop supplying Northern Ireland altogether. The "not for EU" label is designed to make it easier for such goods to move under the scheme without triggering EU requirements. The power is targeted: it applies only to specific product lines where supply is seriously affected, it exempts small businesses as defined by the Companies Act 2006, and it does not require Northern Irish goods placed on the market in Great Britain to carry the label. Food for special medical purposes is also exempted. The vote divided almost entirely along lines of support for or scepticism about the Windsor Framework. Labour and Labour Co-operative MPs voted 289 to nil in favour, joined by the Liberal Democrats at 19 to nil and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. The four votes against came from the Democratic Unionist Party, with the Traditional Unionist Voice's Jim Allister also voting no. Reform UK and the Ulster Unionist Party had no vote recorded.