The UK Government’s Statutory Instrument 2025 No. 1172 introduced an important, though deliberately limited, change to the Construction Products regulatory landscape in Great Britain. The instrument updates domestic law so that products compliant with (EU) 2024/3110 (EU‑CPR 2024) are recognised as meeting relevant UK requirements, in the same way that products compliant with the earlier EU‑CPR 2011 have been recognised since Brexit. This is explicitly designed to maintain regulatory continuity and prevent unnecessary burdens on industry, ensuring alignment with the updated EU framework without introducing substantive new duties for UK manufacturers. Crucially, the policy intention is continuity: the UK continues to accept CE-marked products, including those bearing the UK(NI) indication, as sufficient evidence of conformity for the GB market.
This means that while EU manufacturers moving to the enhanced requirements of the EU‑CPR 2024 may apply additional sustainability or safety criteria, UK manufacturers are not required to adopt these new EU obligations at this stage. They simply benefit from the fact that products tested and assessed under the EU’s updated regime will not require duplicate testing for the GB market. The memorandum underscores this by noting that the policy “maintains the current policy” of recognising EU standards and avoids “double regulation” and supply chain disruption.
However, the new SI does not alter the underlying UKCA regime. UKCA marking in Great Britain remains a lift‑and‑shift of the old EU‑CPR 2011, as originally retained in UK law. The memorandum makes clear that SI 1172 merely ensures that regulatory and enforcement powers remain effective under existing structures, not that those structures are being redesigned.
The Government also signals that wider reform of the UK construction products regime is planned, and that future legislation will be needed for a comprehensive overhaul. The direction of travel appears to favour alignment rather than divergence, given the Government’s messaging that any longer-term reforms are expected to “align with the EU legislation.”
In summary, SI 2025/1172 provides immediate clarity and continuity for industry, easing cross‑border trade and preventing unnecessary cost, while keeping UKCA requirements unchanged for now. Larger reforms are coming, likely closer to the EU model, but this SI is an incremental, stability‑focused step rather than a regulatory redesign.
BASA represents the £1.7 billion UK and Irish adhesives and sealants sector, promoting innovation, compliance, and sustainability while supporting business growth and industry standards. Visit http://www.basa.uk.com
