Government set for Commons defeat over controversial Sunday trading plan

After Chancellor George Osborne recently announced plans to revive a series of controversial Sunday trading laws, the Government now looks set for a defeat in the Commons over the issue.

With Osborne already facing a Tory rebellion in the upcoming vote, the Scottish National Party (SNP) has confirmed it stands against the proposals.

Labour is now calling on the Government to “admit defeat” on the topic, Sky News has reported.

If it came to fruition, the plan would see Sunday trading laws relaxed across England and Wales, with local authorities allowed to extend shop opening hours on Sundays.

According to Sky News, a government source commented: “It’s disappointing and hypocritical of the SNP to be trying to deny people the freedoms to shop that are already available to those they represent in Scotland.

“It’s a particularly extraordinary position for a party that supposedly believes in devolution of powers from Whitehall to be seeking to stand in the way of local leaders in the rest of the UK being able to choose what’s right for their communities and their economies.”

Conservative David Burrowes, the MP for Enfield Southgate, is leading the Tory backbenchers who oppose the bill.

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