A timeline of David Cameron's broken promise on Sunday shopping
George Osborne announces plans for round-the-clock Sunday shopping, despite a pledge from Cameron's spokesperson during electoin campaign
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Three weeks before the general election David Cameron's spokesperson sent a letter to campaign group Keep Sunday Special assuring them that the Conservatives had no plans to relax Sunday trading laws.
Exactly two months after the election George Osborne announces government plans for round-the-clock Sunday shopping, which will be included in tomorrow's emergency budget.
April 20: The Prime Minister's Conservative party spokesperson wrote: “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.”
July 7: George Osborne said: “Even two decades on from the introduction of the Sunday Trading Act, it is clear there is still a growing appetite for shopping on a Sunday. There is some evidence that transactions for Sunday shopping are actually growing faster than those for Saturday.
"The rise of online shopping… also means more retailers want to be able to compete by opening for longer at the weekend. But this won’t be right for every area, so I want to devolve the power to make this decision to mayors and local authorities.”
The plans, set to be announced in tomorrow's Budget and be included in the government's Enterprise Bill over the next 10 months. They signal the biggest shake-up of Sunday trading laws for 20 years and the Chancellor predicts it will lead to a significant economic boost.
However the liberalisation has already run into opposition from unions and is also likely to face opposition from religious groups and some Tory MPs.
John Hannett, secretary general of the shopworkers’ union Usdaw, said he would trade unions will campaign against it, claiming there will “not be any economic benefits”.
He said the move was “very disappointing” and will put pressure on existing employees, while the Keep Sunday Special group accused the government of trying to "fundamentally alter the balance and harmony of our national life in such a underhand manner".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments