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Retail Trade: Delivery Services

Asked by Max WilkinsonLiberal DemocratDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 2 February 2026UIN 108344

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring online retailers to offer a choice of delivery couriers.

Answered by Kate Dearden

The department currently has no plans to require retailers to offer a choice of delivery couriers to consumers. This is a commercial decision for the business to make. Consumers are encouraged to provide feedback and suggestions to businesses directly. This encourages businesses to adapt and fairly compete based on demand.

Under consumer legislation, the trader is liable if anything goes wrong with the consumer’s parcel including goods arriving in a damaged condition and late or lost deliveries.

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