The price rise bill wants to finish what Ofcom’s rules started
A new private member’s bill, put forward by MP Dr Luke Evans, would ban mid contract price rises on broadband and mobile contracts outright, rather than just requiring providers to disclose them in advance. The price rise bill has passed its first reading in Parliament, with a second reading listed for early 2027.
It arrives with awkward timing for Ofcom. Research from Citizens Advice, corroborated by MoneySavingExpert and published in mi 2026, found that Ofcom’s own pounds and pence reform, the one meant to fix this exact problem, has left three in four broadband customers worse off than they would have been under the old inflation linked system it replaced.
Why does the price rise bill say Ofcom’s fix hasn’t worked?
Since January 2025, providers have had to state any future price rise in fixed pounds and pence at the point you sign up, rather than tying it to an unpredictable inflation figure. On paper, that sounds like clarity. In practice, analysis of tens of thousands of tariffs found almost all of them ended up rising by more than inflation would have added anyway.
Providers simply set the fixed figure generously from the start. Our own guide to broadband mid contract price rises covers what the current pounds and pence rule actually means for your contract today, including when you can walk away penalty free.
What would the price rise bill actually change?
Rather than requiring disclosure, the price rise bill would stop providers raising your price at all once you’ve signed a fixed term contract, full stop. The rate you agree to at the start would be the rate you pay until the contract ends, no pounds and pence clause, no annual increase baked in either way.
It isn’t law yet, and won’t be for some time even if it succeeds. Most private members’ bills never make it onto the statute book, and this one has a long road through Parliament ahead of it. Worth knowing about, not worth planning your household budget around just yet.
Does the price rise bill cover mobile contracts too?
Yes, the bill as drafted covers fixed term telecoms contracts generally, which includes mobile as well as broadband. The same pounds and pence pattern criticised in the broadband research has shown up on mobile bills too. Our mobile price rise rules explainer covers how that side currently works if you’re weighing up a new SIM or handset contract.
If the bill does eventually pass in its current form, both sides of a typical household’s telecoms spend, broadband and mobile, would be protected from any mid contract increase, not just ones that failed to disclose the figure clearly enough.
What should you do while this works its way through Parliament?
Treat today’s rules as what actually applies, not what might apply later. If you’re out of contract, you’re already free to switch or haggle without waiting for any bill to pass. If you’re mid contract with a disclosed pounds and pence rise coming, that increase is enforceable under the current rules regardless of what happens to this bill.
Keep half an eye on the second reading date if you’re the sort of household who tracks this kind of thing, but don’t delay a switch you’d otherwise make on the hope a ban lands sooner than it realistically will.
The price rise bill, at a glance
- Would ban mid contract price rises on broadband and mobile outright.
- Introduced as a private member’s bill, first reading passed.
- Second reading listed for early 2027, not law yet.
- Follows research showing Ofcom’s 2025 pounds and pence reform left most people worse off.
- Current pounds and pence rules still apply and remain enforceable in the meantime.
Frequently asked questions about the price rise bill
- Is the price rise bill definitely going to become law?
- No, it’s far from certain. Most private members’ bills don’t pass, and this one still has to clear a second reading and further Parliamentary stages before it could take effect.
- Does this mean my current price rise is invalid?
- No. If your provider disclosed the rise in pounds and pence when you signed, it remains enforceable under today’s rules regardless of the bill’s progress.
- Why did Ofcom’s own reform make things worse?
- Research suggests providers set their fixed pounds and pence figure higher than inflation would typically have added, meaning most customers ended up paying more under the new system than the old one.
- Who proposed the price rise bill?
- MP Dr Luke Evans introduced it as a private member’s bill, a route individual MPs can use to propose new laws, though these have a lower success rate than government backed bills.
- What can I do right now if I’m unhappy with a price rise?
- Check whether you’re out of contract, since you can switch penalty free if so. If you’re mid contract, comparing deals and haggling with your current provider are still your two most effective options today.
The price rise bill is a reminder that even a well intentioned regulatory fix can miss the mark. Whether Parliament finishes the job Ofcom started is genuinely uncertain, so for now, the smartest move is still the boring one: check your contract, compare, and don’t wait on a law that might not arrive.
