Supermarket bosses have launched a bid to extend Sunday trading hours in the lead up to Christmas.
Major grocers including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have urged government ministers in recent weeks to allow stores to open for more than six hours on Sundays in December.
The supermarkets have warned ministers they could otherwise be putting shoppers’ safety at risk amid the pandemic, as consumers rush to stores to do their Christmas food shop, as originally reported by Sky News.
Other retailers including Primark and Marks & Spencer have also called for extended Sunday trading hours to avoid big crowds and spread demand throughout the busy Christmas period.
The move would require primary legislation that has previously been shot down by Conservative ministers and retail unions.
In June, emergency legislation was drawn up by Boris Johnson’s government allowing stores to be open for longer on Sundays for one year, but this was opposed by dozens of Tory MPs.
David Cameron also launched a bid to abolish Sunday trading laws in 2016, but this was scrapped after Conservative MPs rebelled.
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