Sunday Trading (London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) Bill [Lords]

Gerry Sutcliffe Excerpts

Monday 30th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Umunna]

I was coming to that point.

With the bid won, our party, in government, proceeded to work in close collaboration with others to make a success and a lasting legacy of this once-in-a-lifetime event for the United Kingdom. The stability and transparency of the cross-party working to which my hon. Friend has referred was crucial to the success of our Olympic planning. It was therefore a huge disappointment that the first we heard of these measures was in the omnishambles that was the pre-briefing of this year’s Budget in the Sunday newspapers during the weekend before the Chancellor’s Budget statement. That was the first that we, and others, heard of the proposal to suspend the restrictions on Sunday trading between 22 July and 9 September this year, during the period of the Olympics.

[Mr Gerry Sutcliffe (Bradford South) (Lab)]

I am a former Sports Minister who sat on the Olympic Board, and a former consumer Minister who had to deal with the issue of Sunday trading. I wonder whether my hon. Friend knows the origin of the motivation for this proposal. I certainly never heard anyone call for it during my time on the board, and when, as consumer Minister, I talked to organisations such as the Association of Convenience Stores and the Federation of Newsagents, no one said that they wanted it. Where has it come from?

[Mr Umunna]

My hon. Friend poses a good question, and I refer him to a piece written by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Nadine Dorries) in which she mentions the vigorous Treasury pre-briefing on this matter.