Yahoo News Leading Labour trio hit pre-election trail with shop talk on eventful trip to Yarm
Teesside shop workers spoke of their experiences of retail crime during a visit by Labour front bench MPs to the market town of Yarm.
Labour’s Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Deputy Leader Angela Rayner and Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper hit the pre-election trail calling in at Sainsbury’s on Yarm High Street where they chatted to staff in the store. The visit was arranged to coincide with a “five point plan” being unveiled by the party intended to “breathe life” into Britain’s high streets and reverse their decline in some areas.
There were slightly surreal scenes as a media pack of reporters and photographers were ushered up and down biscuit, jam and fresh fruit aisles by party officials in order to follow behind the politicians. Shoppers going about their daily business looked on slightly bemused and at one point a display was knocked over when a photographer reversed into it.
Some of the discussions with staff centred on retail crime with one worker acknowledging it was “stressful” dealing with abuse from members of the public and those attempting to steal items.
Manager Sophie Tweddell, from Middlesbrough, explained to the shadow cabinet members how she and six other staff members each had access to body worn cameras. She also described how she could press a button on the camera unit should help be required from colleagues and did this at least once a week with a link to a remote monitoring system in place also.
She said: “I feel safe with it if I am the only female working at night with two others.” Mrs Cooper replied: “You should not have to feel unsafe at work.”
The store manager told the shadow home secretary that crime and anti-social behaviour issues had got worse over recent months. Later the three women were due to visit the Fulmine clothing shop in Yarm and travel agents Hays Travel to continue the retail theme.
Ms Rayner was subject to an impromptu protest over her tax affairs when she was ambushed while walking along a rainy Yarm High Street. A small group of men appeared dressed in high-vis gear with ‘tax inspector’ written on the back and unveiled a banner which stated: ‘Angela Rayner: Tax Dodger?’
The Teesside trip came as the Government announced that assaulting shop workers will be made a standalone criminal offence carrying a maximum jail sentence of six months with the potential for an unlimited fine. Recently the British Retail Consortium released figures showing that violence and abuse went up 50% in the 12 months to September, equating to 1,300 incidents a day, and criticised “woefully inadequate” action by the Government to address the “crisis”.
The Government previously told campaigners a new law was not necessary and such offending could be dealt with under existing legislation. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it would send a message to criminals stealing or abusing retail workers that “enough is enough”.
Labour said creating a specific offence of assault against shop workers was already among its policies. Mrs Cooper questioned why it had taken the Government so long to act and said: “Labour has been calling for tougher action against those who assault shop workers for more than 10 years.”
As well as boosting neighbourhood policing resources, it wants to roll out new banking hubs to guarantee face-to-face banking in every community and replace business rates with a new system of business property taxation aimed at levelling the playing field between large online retailers and smaller businesses on the high street.
It also, if elected, plans to introduce ‘right to buy’ measures meaning “beloved community assets” can be taken over by local community groups and “end the blight of empty premises”.
Ms Rayner, who is also Labour's shadow communities secretary, said town and city centres were an untapped strength of Britain’s economy. She said: “Labour will use the full force of Government to get behind our high streets and spark the decade of national renewal that communities deserve.”
