Ministers to back regulation of England’s funeral industry after scandals

Demands for oversight grow after inquiry calls sector an ‘unregulated free for all’ and families seek stronger safeguards

Ministers are expected to back calls to regulate England’s funeral industry for the first time, after a series of scandals over the handling of remains.

Bereaved families have called for a new investigatory body and rules governing professional qualifications after an official inquiry declared the sector an “unregulated free for all”.