The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Current affairs

Sunday trading laws suspended for the Olympics

Sunday trading laws suspended for the Olympics
22 July 2012
Annalisa Ratti
Avatar
Annalisa Ratti
22 July 2012

George Osborne confirmed today that restrictions on Sunday trading would be lifted this summer during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

He said that the possibility of keeping shops open longer on a Sunday would help retailers generate tens of millions of pounds in increased profits during London 2012, “maximising the economic benefit of the Olympics.”

Business minister Norman Lamb agreed. He said: “Retail workers will keep all their legal protections, such as the right to opt out of Sunday working, but many will want to take the opportunity to work extra or different hours.”

He added: “This will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase not just London, but the whole of the country to the rest of the world and provide a boost for the economy.”

The change has been carried on with private lobbying by large retailers, including the Trafford Centre in Manchester and Selfridges in London.

However, there is strong opposition from Labour, trade unions, the Church of England and the Keep Sunday Special Campaign.

John Hannett, general secretary of the shop workers’ union USDAW, said: “Deregulation would do little to stimulate growth or create jobs, but would have a very detrimental impact on the lives of millions of shop workers and their families.”

The Church of England also expressed clearly its opposition to any further attempts to erode the special nature of Sunday. A spokesman said: “We believe that for family stability and community life, as many people as possible should have the possibility of a common day off every week.” Currently over one million families have at least one parent working on both weekend days, meaning they already have little time to spend with their children. A change in trading laws would only exacerbate this.

John Ashcroft, a spokesman for the Keep Sunday Special Campaign, said the proposals were “unnecessary, and merely a cover for creeping deregulation”.

The campaign has had backing from shadow chancellor Ed Balls, who claimed it ensured working mothers could stay at home with their families on Mothering Sunday.

The possibility of shopping on Sundays is something quite recent. Until 1994, only specialist outlets such as garden centres, corner shops or chemists were allowed to trade on Sundays. Under current trading laws shops of more than 280 square metres can open for a maximum of six hours between 10:00 and 18:00 on a Sunday.

Annalisa Ratti

Related Items

More in Current Affairs

Changes to expect during menopause

The editorial unit
Read More

Why Equity Linked Savings Schemes is a preferred tax saving?

The editorial unit
Read More

How the world’s top designers would rebrand political parties

The editorial unit
Read More

Royal baby furore: Proof that the British monarchy is still popular?

Eoin O’Sullivan-Harris
Read More

World Mental Health Day 2018: Raising awareness and combating stigma

The editorial unit
Read More

Seven political personalities you should know about

The editorial unit
Read More

Donald Trump: An enemy of the arts?

The editorial unit
Read More

Trump’s fortune: Where did the money come from?

The editorial unit
Read More

Snapchat Spectacles come to the UK

The editorial unit
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Weezer with the LA Philharmonic and YOLA at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • A Splinter of Ice at Cheltenham Everyman Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Chiswick Playhouse Recharged: An interview with producer Wayne Glover-Stuart
    Theatre
  • Anthropocene: The Human Era at Oxford Playhouse Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Race to Save the World
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Motherhood Project: An interview with creator and curator Katherine Kotz
    Theatre
  • The Mitchells vs the Machines
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • 50 Next unveils the new generation of food industry pioneers
    Food & Drinks
  • Arlo the Alligator Boy
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Campfire in Kings Cross: Two Tribes deliver everything you’ve been missing with a night of beer, BBQ and live music
    Food & Drinks
  • Live from the Barbican: Moses Boyd
    ★★★★★
    Live music
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Rupert Murdoch resigns as News International director
UKBA loses track of over 275,000 immigrants