Today at prime minister’s questions (PMQs), Anne Main MP urged the chancellor to ‘encourage’ the prime minister to ‘intervene’ and introduce a higher standard of flammability testing for children’s fancy-dress costumes. 

After questions, Anne said that ‘there seems to be a real willingness to raise the flammability test standard on children’s fancy-dress. I thought that this was a very positive answer by the chancellor, and I am really pleased that he has assured me that this will be tackled.

‘Adopting a higher British standard, which has been done before with nightwear, would be a huge leap forward. I hope now that the government will act as quickly as possible to ensure that young children a better protected.

‘We do not have to wait on Europe to play catch-up.’

Mrs Anne Main (St Albans) (Con): Under current toy regulations, small children can be engulfed in flames by 3 cm in one second. Will the Chancellor encourage my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to intervene to see whether the Business Secretary can introduce a statutory instrument to improve the flammability of children’s play and dress-up costumes?

Mr Osborne: My hon. Friend is right to raise that case. We all saw the tragedy that befell the family of the “Strictly Come Dancing” presenter and the campaign that her family have undertaken to change the regulations. It is true that we do not have the same flame-retardant regulations for children’s fancy dress costumes. That seems wrong. I know that my right hon. Friend the Business Secretary is looking at the matter and will ensure that that changes.

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