Sunday trading laws to be ditched during Olympics
George Osborne is to lift restrictions on the amount of hours large stores can open for on Sundays during the Olympics, hoping the economy can cash in on late night shopping by tourists.
The Chancellor George Osborne confirmed that he will announce in Wednesday’s budget plans to lift Sunday trading laws for the two months the Olympics and Paralympic Games are running.
Currently large stores in England and Wales can only open for six hours of continuous trading between 10am and 6pm on Sundays.
Speaking on the Andrew Marr show Osborne said it would be a “great shame” if visiting tourists arrived for games on Sundays only to find the shops were shut.
“We have got the whole world coming to London and the rest of the country for the Olympics,” he said.
“It would be a great shame, particularly when some of the big Olympic events are on a Sunday, if the country had a ‘closed for business’ sign on it.”
However his plans to rush the change through the House of Commons and the House of Lords will undoubtedly meet resistance from those who fear this temporary measure may herald something more permanent.
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, also on the programme, demanded more information and said “Today, on Mothering Sunday, there are mums at home with their kids because Sunday trading (laws) means they can have the morning off.
“We should be very careful about breaking Sunday trading.”
