Every year tens of thousands of retail workers are physically attacked and hundreds of thousands are subject to verbal abuse and intimidation. This is completely unacceptable.

As stores prepare for Christmas, I met with Paddy Lillis, General Secretary of the Shopworkers’ union USDAW to support USDAW’s Freedom From Fear campaign.

Labour announced in October that we will bring in a new law and tougher sentences for attacks on shopworkers because everyone has the right to feel safe at work. This has been welcomed by the British Retail Consortium and the Federation of Independent Retailers as well as USDAW.