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Sunday trading: Government defeated by rebels as Labour calls for bill to be withdrawn Sunday trading: Government defeated by rebels as Labour calls for bill to be withdrawn
(35 minutes later)
The Government has been defeated in Parliament over plans to relax Sunday trading laws. The Government has suffered a far greater defeat than anticipated over its plan to relax Sunday trading laws.
Plans to extend Sunday trading hours have been removed from a bill after the Government lost by 317 votes to 286 - a majority of 31. Sunday trading hours will remain the same after MPs voted by 317 votes to 286, majority 31, to scrap the proposal from the Enterprise Bill.
More follows... The plan suffered defeat despite David Cameron holding meetings with Tory rebels and ministers offering last minute concessions.
Up to 30 Conservative MPs are expected to have rebelled against the plan while Labour and the SNP also opposed the measure.
The defeat represents a blow for Chancellor George Osbourne who spearheaded the proposed changes, setting out plans for the biggest shake-up of Sunday trading laws in 20 years in his summer Budget last year.
His plan hoped to devolve powers over deciding Sunday trading hours to councils and elected mayors, allowing for shops to be open longer where it is believed it will be of benefit to the local economy.
He also said that allowing councils in England and Wales to decide whether larger stores should be able to stay open for longer than the current maximum of six hours could help "struggling" high streets to compete with online retailers.
Despite last-ditch attempts by the Government to see off the rebellion, including personal interventions from the Prime Minister and the offer of a pilot scheme, the rebel amendment promoted by Conservative backbencher David Burrowes was backed by MPs.
Those opposed to the idea of giving councils the power to extend Sunday trading hours for large shops cheered loudly as the result was read out to a packed House of Commons.
Immediately after the result of the vote was announced, shadow business secretary Angela Eagle called on the Government and Chancellor George Osborne to abandon the "tawdry attempts" to extend Sunday trading and respect the will of MPs.
Communities minister Brandon Lewis has accused the SNP of hypocrisy, as similar measures are already in place in Scotland.
"Majority in English and Welsh MPs for Sunday Trading," he posted on Twitter. "SNP stop rest of country have freedom Scotland has."
Additional reporting by Press Associaton