The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade is considering splitting undistributed funds between the AJF and the Consumers’ Association (Which?) or missing out the AJF entirely and giving everything to the Consumers’ Association. Its consultation, ‘Swifter and simpler competition redress’, closed last week.
In January 2026, the AJF received £3.7m in unclaimed damages from Justin Gutmann’s collective action settlement with Stagecoach South Western, following low take-up from class members. It used it to fund frontline legal services.
CILEX president Sara Fowler pointed to the AJF’s ‘proven track record’ of ensuring the funds ‘go where they will have the greatest possible impact’.
The Consumers’ Association, on the other hand, ‘is an entirely different type of organisation, one that principally operates a commercial model, with only around a quarter of its income related to consumer research and promoting consumer interests,’ Fowler said.
