Extended Sunday Trading is expected to start this Autumn, according to a statement from the government, as it hands powers to local authorities to end restrictions.
Ministers will introduce amendments to the Enterprise Bill today which will give local authorities the power to extend Sunday opening hours.
But the move has been criticised by opponents who say they were promised that any permanent change to legislation would be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny. A public consultation was held and the government's response was published today, along with the annoucement the measure would go ahead. However the response has been accused of putting "spin above transparency" by Christian charity CARE, which has campaigned against the proposals.
"At the end of the day, government depends on trust and if you hold a public consultation then people have a right for their views to be taken seriously but that has clearly not happened in this instance," said Nola Leach, CARE's CEO.
This is the government's second attempt to extend Sunday trading, after it was dropped in November last year following strong opposition from MPs of all parties.
Until today, large shops have been limited to six hours of business on Sundays. The amendment removes this limit, instead handing responsibility to local governments to manage. The current limitation applies to shops bigger than 280 square meters, which can only open for six hours or less between 10am and 6pm.
"Extending Sunday shopping hours has the potential to help businesses and high streets better compete as our shopping habits change," said Anna Soubry, business minister.
"The rights of shop workers are key to making these changes work in everyone's interests," she added. "We are protecting those who do not wish to work Sundays, and those who do not want to work more than their normal Sunday working hours."
The bill states that workers who do not want to work on Sundays will be protected. Currently a worker has to give three months notice that he/she does not want to work on Sundays; in the future, this notice period will be reduced to just one month.
The Church of England has released a statement in opposition to the new bill. The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, said: "Changing the law would have a negative effect on community and family life, while delivering few, if any, additional benefits for the economy."
The government had given "categorical assurances" that any permanent change to legislation would be subject to full public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny, said John Hannet, leader of Udsaw, the shop workers' union.
"Tabling an amendment at this stage breaks that promise and the consultation is not complete until it has been published in full," he added.
Udsaw has also warned that this change in legislation will force staff members to spend less time with their families.
Hannet said: "Their [the government's] claims to be offering additional protection for shop workers amounts to nothing more than has existed for the last 20 years.
"91 per cent of our members working in retail oppose longer Sunday trading because they know it will have an adverse effect on family life and put them under even more pressure to work longer hours on a Sunday."
Conservative MP David Burrows said: "The Government should still listen to the significant opposition to this unnecessary and unwanted plan.
"Otherwise I look forward to leading an unholy cross-party alliance in defeating a measure which is anti-family, anti-small business and anti-workers."
