eema Kennedy, executive director of industry-funded campaign group Fair Civil Justice, said:  We welcome initiatives aimed at protecting consumers and look forward to engaging with the Law Commission's consumer project. The evidence both internationally and within the UK’s current class action framework demonstrates that litigation-driven solutions - especially opt-out claims - rarely result in meaningful compensation for consumers at scale. We hope the Law Commission will consider non-litigious solutions.'

Martyn Day, co-president of the Collective Redress Lawyers Association (CORLA), described the announcment as 'a timely and important step towards closing the UK’s justice gap'.

He added: 'At present, the avenues open for large groups of individuals with the same claim to take legal action against companies are limited, so a mechanism that makes it much easier for those groups of individuals to club together makes great sense. It is also a step in the right direction in terms of us not being left behind by our continental European neighbours who are implementing the EU Representative Actions Directive that allows opt-out cases to be brought on behalf of consumers.

'There is no doubt that a well-designed consumer class actions regime will strengthen access to justice