Specialist litigators have expressed hope that government plans to introduce class actions will be revived after the election.Provisions to introduce consumer class actions against banks were dropped during the pre-election ‘wash-up’ procedure that ensured the Financial Services Bill became law, after the Conservatives raised a raft of concerns.

However, all parties pledged to return to the issue after the election, with Tory spokeswoman Baroness Noakes saying her party ‘fully supports further work on collective actions for consumers’, but this should not just be limited to financial services and it should be clear that the courts are a last resort for redress.

David Greene, head of litigation at London firm Edwin Coe, said: ‘Problems faced by consumers in pursuing their rights are well recognised at European and domestic levels and will require an answer. Hopefully, these provisions will be reintroduced after the election, when their operation can be considered at length.’