Campaigners have welcomed indications from the Prime Minister that the government may regulate the funeral industry.
New regulations for the sector moved one step closer following comments from Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs on Wednesday (July 1).
Mr Starmer said he wanted “stronger standards and oversight,” following shocking cases of babies’ bodies being mistreated.
The Prime Minister was responding to a question from MP Mark Sewards, telling the Commons: “The status quo here is not working for families and people deserve to know that their loved ones are treated with dignity and compassion.”
Today this intervention was been welcomed by campaigners Sacha Mulligan and Michelle Harvey.
The pair are the founders of the Funeral Officiant Authority (FOA), which was set up to tackle concerns over safeguarding and professional standards within the sector. The FOA aims to introduce clearer professional standards across the UK and has recently launched a national register of vetted funeral celebrants and officiants.
“Mark Sewards is shining a spotlight on the urgent need for regulation within the funeral industry, and he has my full support,” said Ms Harvey.
“It is extraordinary that an industry entrusted with caring for families at one of the most devastating times in their lives is still operating without comprehensive statutory regulation, and most members of the public have no idea this is the case.
“This is why we founded the FOA – to give bereaved families confidence that the professionals supporting them have been properly vetted, are accountable for their actions, and are committed to recognised standards of care. Trust needs to be rebuilt.
“Bereaved families deserve compassion, professionalism, and reassurance that the people caring for them are held to account.”
Ms Mulligan said the lack of oversight, and public awareness of it, was what made regulation so urgent.
“What’s striking is not just that this industry has no overarching regulation, but that when things do go wrong, there is currently no clear route to hold anyone accountable,” she said.
“That has to change. We need a proper framework – recognised standards, a formal complaints process, and real consequences when someone fails in their duty to a grieving family.
“The families we serve deserve nothing less.”
Currently, there is no formal regulation preventing individuals from conducting funeral ceremonies without recognised training, vetting or accountability processes.
The situation has led to horrific cases, including a woman claiming to run a baby loss support and funeral service who instead kept the bodies of babies in circumstances that a grandmother of a baby compared to a horror film.
Due to the absence of regulation in the funeral industry, the individual in question is still operating, and police found nothing actionable in any of the cases.