Conservative U-turn on Sunday trading

Chancellor George Osborne has unveiled proposals to relax restrictions on Sunday trading. But the plans, confirmed in Wednesday's budget, fly in the face of a pre-election commitment made "on behalf of the Prime Minister."

Chancellor George Osborne has unveiled proposals to relax restrictions on Sunday trading.

But the plans, confirmed in Wednesday's budget, fly in the face of a pre-election commitment made "on behalf of the Prime Minister."

In April, a representative of the Conservatives wrote to campaign group Keep Sunday Special saying: “I can assure you that we have no current plans to relax the Sunday trading laws."

“We believe that the current system provides a reasonable balance between those who wish to see more opportunity to shop in large stores on a Sunday, and those who would like to see further restrictions,” the letter continues.

Mr Osborne plans to give local councils and directly elected mayors the power to relax trading restrictions on larger stores opening on a Sunday in England and Wales.

Under current rules, smaller shops may open all day, but those over 3000 sq. ft. are limited to six hours of trading.

The proposals have already attracted widespread criticism, with many highlighting the effect such measures would have on family life.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Turning Sunday into another Saturday for major retailers would take precious family time away from shop workers. There is no pressure for this from shoppers and it may push some smaller retailers out of business.”

Labour leadership contenders Liz Kendall and Andy Burnham also expressed opposition to the move.

Tim Montgomerie, founder of the Conservative Home website, wrote: “The individual choice for some to buy goods they don’t need with money they don’t have requires that another person’s Sunday visit to Gran or to church must end — or their employability might suffer.”

“Conservative plans to further liberalise Sunday trading are not only a breach of an election promise, they also amount to another attack on the community-building idea of shared rest … It’s the poor who suffer most from our failure to put limits on market power,” he went on to say.

Fellow Times columnist Carol Midgley, said: “The Conservatives claim to be family-friendly, yet creating conditions in which more people, often low-paid, will be pressured into working Sundays is not”.

A former chief executive of Sainsbury’s, Justin King, has commented in the past: “Our customers aren’t asking for it. I’ve never had a letter from a customer saying, ‘Please campaign for longer opening hours on Sundays’. The compromise that’s been reached is essentially to keep Sunday special."

The Church of England has also expressed opposition.

Christian Concern’s chief executive, Andrea Williams, has commented on the importance of keeping Sunday special:

“A collective day of rest is a reminder that we are created for more than just work; we are made to be more than just cogs in a great machine; we are human beings. There is more to life than money and materialism; more to life than shopping and spending.”

A day of rest is “liberating” she says, reminding us “that our worth is not determined by our economic potential or our take home pay; a day of rest reminds us that we are precious because we are created and cared for by God.”

She also highlighted the reality that it is poorer people who will be most affected by changes to Sunday trading laws: “Sunday trading may suit the whims of the wealthy but it is the poorest that suffer.”

“We need to protect and mark out time for relationships, recreation and rest.”

Sunday opening restrictions were initially relaxed by the Sunday Trading Act 1994 after 26 previous attempts to liberalise the law.

One attempt, the Shops Bill 1986, was defeated at second reading in the House of Commons by just 14 votes. It was the first and only such defeat suffered by Margaret Thatcher during her time as Prime Minister.

Underlining the significance of a day of rest, Andrea Williams concluded: “A day of rest gives us opportunity to enjoy the fruit of labour in relationship with others, and not just to be continuously creating and consuming. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, came to bring us rest, an end to our striving and our attempts to put things right with God by ourselves. He paid the price for us. And a day of rest helps us to enjoy that.”