UK makers are being buried under regulations designed for multinational mass production.
And if nothing changes, many small British toy brands simply won’t survive.
The DPP consultation is STILL open in the UK.
There is still time to fix this.
Right now, the same administrative burden is being imposed on:
factories producing millions of units overseas,
and British artisans making a few hundred products a year in local workshops.
That makes absolutely no sense.
A local maker producing 500 handcrafted toys in the UK is not the same risk profile as anonymous mass production imported from the other side of the world.
Yet both are increasingly treated the same.
The consequence is brutal:
rising compliance costs
endless paperwork
innovation slowed down
local manufacturing discouraged before it even has the chance to grow
And meanwhile, the biggest players absorb the cost without difficulty.
If we genuinely want to rebuild British manufacturing, support local craftsmanship, and encourage new brands to emerge, then regulation must become proportionate.
Our position is simple:
For UK manufacturers producing fewer than 1500 units per year:
simplified self-declaration of conformity
documented technical files kept available for inspection
traceability through production year marking
fast local enforcement when needed
Not lighter safety.
Smarter regulation.
Because today, small British creators are spending more time feeding bureaucracy than building products.
We should be helping local makers grow into future exporters — not crushing them before they reach scale.
The UK has an opportunity here:
Build a framework that protects children WITHOUT destroying local industry.
That would be real leadership.
