The 4 July General Election means that plans to increase the smoking age, restrict vapes and create new laws to protect shop workers from assaults may be scrapped.
The election cuts short the time remaining to pass legislation, meaning the government has just weeks to push through nearly a dozen pieces of complex legislation.
Any laws not passed before this date will be scrapped, with whomever wins the election left with the decision of whether to start again in introducing the bills.
Atul Sodha, owner of Londis Harefield, Uxbridge, said “the snap election being called was inevitable”.
He added that from legislation that has been laid out by both parties so far, he is not decided on either party.
“I’m one of those floating voters so I’ll just see what they want to say and go with my gut instinct on the day – from a business perspective I’ve been Conservative, but this party has no clear direction,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like Labour is meeting our needs either, though.”
Dean Holborn, of Holborn’s, Redhill, Surrey, expressed the concern that in the “likely” sceanario that Labour win, there will be constraints applied to zero-hour contracts.
“Zero-hour contracts are quite prevalent in our businesses with part-time employees. I’m not looking forward to a new government, whoever wins, but hopefully for what Labour lacks in some areas, they make up for in others.”
Meanwhile, David Lomas, of Lomas News in Bury, added that the snap election could be a positive thing for newspaper sales.
“I think it’ll drive newspaper sales, which is a bonus. It should help us out, especially at a time when a lot of retailers are seeing slower business.”
Tobacco and vaping
One of the biggest casualties affecting local shops is expected to be the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would restrict the display, flavours and packaging of vapes in stores. It would also make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anybody born after 1 January 2009, effectively increasing the tobacco age limit by one year each year.
Action on Smoking and Health chief executive Deborah Arnott admitted that the laws are ‘a victim of the snap election’ but added: “We are confident that whoever forms the next government this Bill will return, and its passage will be expedited.”
The currently planned start date would be 1 April 2025, but it requires a six-month notice period, requiring the bill to be passed by 1 October. This may no longer be possible, potentially delaying the start date of the measures, even when the winning party re-introduces the bill following the election.
The ban on disposable vapes, also scheduled for 1 April 2025, is unaffected by the issues and is expected to begin as planned.
Sodha said: “At the end of the day, the Tobacco & Vapes Bill was a massive soundbit on Rishi’s part, though I think Labour will go ahead with it anyway. We’ll just get on and follow the laws and due diligence anyway, so nothing’s changed here. I’ll keep my eye on it, but other retailers are talking about the abuse we’ll get once this goes through.”
Lomas added: “I’m not worried about tobacco – we’re not a big tobacco retailer. I was unsure about how we would’ve been affected on the vapes front, but I’m a bit relieved for the time being that it won’t affect us, so I’m not worried really.”
Protecting shops from crime
The Criminal Justice Bill includes an amendment that would create a standalone criminal offence for assaulting a shopworker in England and Wales. Another amendment would put stronger penalties on shoplifters convicted of three offences or more. However, unlike the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which enjoys support from both parties, the Criminal Justice Bill contains contested elements ranging from deporting criminals to targeting ‘nuisance begging’. One policy expert told RN: “It needs a lot of cooperation from both parties to push through the remaining amendments.” They were doubtful it would be possible to pass the bill before the election.
Lomas said: “Obviously crime is a difficult situation for our sector, and it’s been highlighted very well by us and other retail sectors. If an election is going to affect the passing of these bills that will help us, then that’s not so good, it’s hard to swallow. We’re dealing with everyday.”
The election also impacts the likelihood of the Sentencing Bill being passed. This bill would remove custodial sentences of less than 12 months, effectively making it impossible for most shoplifters to serve time behind bars.
Post Office retailer convictions
In a move welcomed by the nearly 1,000 Post Office branch owners wrongly convicted of criminal offences as part of the Horizon scandal, a bill to quash these convictions was passed a day after the General Election was announced last week. The law applies everywhere in the UK except Scotland, which is set to pass its own separate bill to overturn subpostmaster convictions. Branch owner Lee Williamson was wrongly given an 18 month suspended sentence in 2014, and told the BBC “the overriding emotion is absolute joy,” following the bill’s passing.
Newspaper subscriptions
Another bill rushed through in these final days of this parliamentary session was the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill, which includes limits on how subscriptions are sold and cancelled.
While backing many elements of the bill, publishers warned that it could increase ‘voucher fraud’ in stores, costing newspaper owners ‘considerable sums’. In letters from the News Media Association first revealed by RN last year, chief executive Owen Meridith explained: “This could allow consumers who purchase their newspapers with coupons at their local retailers to cancel their subscription contracts directly with publishers and receive refunds, but continue to use the coupons fraudulently.”
Currently, retailers are unable to check a voucher is linked to a valid subscription. At the time, Fed head of news Brian Murphy responded: “Our members take vouchers in good faith, with the expectation of being credited without any fuss or fear or losing out, and this must continue.”
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