OPEN ALL HOURS?

A reported shake-up to Sunday trading laws has sparked fresh controversy, as retailers argue it will provide a much-needed economic boost while Christians and unions warn of a trade-off in family life and living standards

- EXCLUSIVE By Adam Toms

WE'RE often told to keep the faith as a means of staying strong when things get bad. And while that's certainly true for retailers who are braced for a bumpy Christmas, ahead of Rachel Reeves's predicted tax-hiking Budget, the saying takes on a more literal meaning for another group facing a potential fallout from the economic crisis: Christians.

In the most recent Census for England and Wales in 2021, just 46.2% of people (27.5million) identified as Christian, down from 59.3% in 2011. Today, although this country's public holidays are still governed to a large degree by Christianity both Christmas and Easter are still huge - many worshippers worry the rise of atheism and other faiths may be eroding the need to keep the traditional day of rest special.

Sunday trading has been the focus of robust debate ever since its inception more than 30 years ago.

A 1994 act, passed despite fierce opposition from churches, unions and charities, allowed larger stores, including supermar kets such as Tesco and Sainsbury's, to open for up to six hours. Small shops - those measuring less than 280 square metres were granted the ability to trade freely without any restrictions at all.

In the intervening years, a big weekly shop has for many of us become as much a part of Sundays as the roast dinner or, indeed, a mass service.

But recent reports suggesting the Government is considering easing trade restrictions on Sundays have once again heightened tensions between groups who say Sundays should be kept as a day of rest and those who don't.

"It's helpful to differentiate Sunday and keep it different as a day for people to spend time with their families and relax, and, if they want to, to go to church," Tim Dieppe, head of public policy at Christian Concern, tells the Daily Express.