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Sunday trading: Government defeated by rebels as Labour calls for bill to be withdrawn Sunday trading: Government defeated by rebels as Labour calls for bill to be withdrawn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 suffered a far greater defeat than anticipated over its plan to relax Sunday trading laws. David Cameron has suffered a damaging Commons defeat after Conservative rebels teamed up with Labour and SNP MPs to throw out plans to allow supermarkets and large stores in England and Wales to open longer on Sundays.
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. The proposals were rejected by 317 votes to 286 – a majority of 31 – despite a last-minute attempt by the Prime Minister to win over Tory MPs who argued the moves would damage family life and threaten the viability of smaller shops.
The plan suffered defeat despite David Cameron holding meetings with Tory rebels and ministers offering last minute concessions. Twenty-six Conservatives rebelled to inflict the defeat on Mr Cameron, underlining the fragility of his overall majority at the last election.
Up to 30 Conservative MPs are expected to have rebelled against the plan while Labour and the SNP also opposed the measure. The vote was also a heavy blow for George Osborne, who had championed the relaxation of Sunday trading laws on the grounds that the move would boost the economy and create jobs. He also argued that liberalisation would help high street shops to compete with online retailers.
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. In a final attempt to avert defeat, the government floated the idea of giving powers to councils to authorise all-day trading on Sundays on a pilot basis.
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. However, the compromise failed to win over opponents and MPs of all parties cheered as the plans were rejected by an unexpectedly large majority.
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. The Government made no secret of its anger over the SNP’s decision to vote against the scheme although shops are already allowed to open all hours in Scotland.
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. The party justified the move by saying the Enterprise Bill, which contained the proposal, did not enshrine in legislation the premium rates of pay for Scots who work on Sunday.
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. Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary, condemned the SNP’s “childish and hypocritical actions” and accused it of only being motivated by winning headlines.
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. The Communities minister, Brandon Lewis, tweeted: “Majority in English and Welsh MPs for Sunday trading. SNP stop rest of country have freedom Scotland has.”
Communities minister Brandon Lewis has accused the SNP of hypocrisy, as similar measures are already in place in Scotland. Following the vote, Angela Eagle, the shadow Business Secretary, challenged ministers to abandon their “tawdry attempts” to force the plans through parliament.
"Majority in English and Welsh MPs for Sunday Trading," he posted on Twitter. "SNP stop rest of country have freedom Scotland has." The vote marked the second Commons defeat for Mr Cameron since the election. The first came over the “purdah” arrangements facing civil servants ahead of the EU referendum vote.
Additional reporting by Press Associaton Larger retailers in England and Wales are currently allowed to trade for six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm on Sundays, although shops with less than 3,000 sq ft of floor space can open all day.
Under the rejected proposals, councils would be given the power to allow shops to stay open longer if they think there is local demand.