Government
The latest news, updates and analysis on the government and what it is doing that affects the UK retail industry. Sign up to the Daily Briefing and let Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
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Jun- 2021 -18 June
Bira takes credit for rent moratorium extension
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has taken credit for the recently announced rent moratorium extension. Revealed on 16 June, the extension will keep existing measures in place to protect commercial tenants from eviction until 25 March 2022. The trade body claimed that the Government’s decision followed extensive lobbying from…
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15 June
Sunak to reject furlough extension calls despite ‘freedom day’ delay
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly set to reject calls for an extension of the furlough scheme and business rates report to businesses despite the prime minister announcing a four-week delay to the lifting of restrictions. According to the Guardian, sources close to the chancellor have said that he believes sufficient…
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11 June
Bira calls for extension of Gov’s TCR scheme
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) is calling for an extension in the government’s Trade Credit Reinsurance (TCR) scheme. CEO of Bira, Andrew Goodacre said the removal of the scheme as planned on June 30, 2021, could “not come at a worse time for independent retailers”. In May, the government…
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8 June
Gov launches new workers’ rights watchdog to clamp down on abuse
The department for business, energy and industrial strategy has announced that a new watchdog will be created to protect the rights of UK workers. The news follows several calls from trade bodies which have been advocating for workers’ protective rights since the pandemic saw an 80% spike in verbal abuse.…
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May- 2021 -26 May
BRC calls for increased protection as shop worker abuse jumps 7%
The BRC is continuing to push the government for a “statutory offence” for assaulting, threatening, or abusing retail workers, after staff report on average 455 incidents of violence and abuse each day. A study, which was conducted by the group as part of its ‘2021 Retail Crime Survey’, showed that…
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13 May
Bira expresses late Restart Grant concerns
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has voiced its disappointment at delays in the government’s Restart Grant distribution. Retailers had been offered one-off grants of between £2,667 and £6,000 in March’s budget announcement in an effort to support the recovery of non-essential businesses. However, Bira claimed that many of its…
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4 May
PM announces new £1bn trade agreement with India
Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced a new £1bn trade agreement with India which will create more than 6,500 UK jobs. The agreement includes an enhanced trade partnership which will unlock new opportunities for British businesses exporting to India and vice-versa and will pave the way for future UK-India free…
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Apr- 2021 -15 April
MPs take evidence on violence against retail workers
The Home Affairs Committee opened its inquiry into violence against retail workers yesterday (14 April), with MPs taking evidence from industry leaders, trade associations and unions. The new inquiry will examine the “barriers” to reporting incidents and the quality of support provided to victims by police and employers, as well…
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Mar- 2021 -31 March
Retail leaders call for ‘Shop Out to Help Out’ scheme
The Save the Street campaign, supported by the British Fashion Council and retail expert Mary Portas, is calling for the government to adopt an incentive scheme similar to its ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ initiative last summer. Founded by Ross Bailey, CEO and founder of Appear Here, the campaign represents…
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23 March
Plastic bag fee to increase to 10p from April
All retailers, regardless of how many people they employ, will be legally required to charge customers 10p for a single use plastic carrier bag from 1 April 2021. The current levy of 5p for a plastic bag only applies to retailers who employ 250 or more people. The new legislation…
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