MPs to debate closing shops on boxing day

Parliament are discussing whether shops should be banned from opening on Boxing day after an online petition gained over 100,000 signatures.

The Christmas Day Trading Act prohibits shops bigger than 280 square meters from opening on 25 December but there are currently no restrictions for Boxing Day unless it falls on a Sunday.

The petition said: "Christmas is a family time. The one day is not enough time to see two sides of families. Retail workers work extremely hard during the Christmas run up and only get the one day. If only everywhere could be closed Boxing Day! Some things are needed over the festive period; retail isn't one of them."

The government responded: “We do not believe it is for central government to tell businesses how to run their shops or how best to serve their customers. Therefore we are not proposing to ban shops from opening on Boxing Day."

Boxing day is particularly lucrative for the retail industry with experts predicting 22m people spent more than £3bn last year.

In 2014, 365,000 people in the UK retail industry worked on Boxing Day according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The debate will last from 16:30 GMT to 19:30 GMT at Westminster Hall. It will not involve a vote or a change in the law but will allow MPs to demonstrate whether it is an issue with much support in Parliament.