Calls for shops to be forced to shut on Boxing Day have been dismissed despite a significant 140,000 supporting signatures.
Yesterday saw the issue debated in Westminster Hall with Labour MP Helen Jones leading the charge. She argued that retailers exploited low paid workers on December 26 and that the country has become obsessed with shopping.
Jones said: “I can shop with the best of them, but if my shopping on Boxing Day is being done at the expense of the lowest paid workers in the community, something has to give.”
READ MORE: MPs to debate boxing day closures today
The proposal met fierce competition however, with the business minister Margot James stating that closing shops on Boxing Day would cost the economy some £3.7 billion and disadvantage retailers hoping to cash in on what has traditionally been a strong day for sales.
Many also stood by the government‘s original comments that it had no place to tell retailers how to run their business, but suggestions were made by Conservative MP Philip Hollobone that legislation should be put in place to ensure no one is forced to work on the date.
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