Lifting the restrictions would give key workers more time to go food shopping with less risk of being infected, according to campaigners.
MPs describe the six-hour opening limit as “absurd” when the elderly and hard-working NHS staff are struggling to beat panic-buyers.
Members of the Commons business committee have urged Business Secretary Alok Sharma to suspend the laws during the lockdown, saying: “Business as usual is no longer an option.”
There are fears the six-hour limit, applied to stores over 3,000 sq ft, is undermining social distancing guidelines as key workers all pile into the shops on their days off. It also makes it harder for shop staff to control customer numbers and keep people apart.
Tory MP Nusrat Ghani said: “The existing restrictive Sunday Trading Laws seem absurd in this present climate. For many of our key workers, Sunday is the only time they aren’t on the front line and they should not be standing in long queues for their once-a-week shop.”
HOARday Trading Act of 1994 allows large stores to open for six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm but no longer. In the past, some Tories have opposed lifting the limit on religious and family grounds, but campaigners point out that weekend family outings and churchgoing are now banned under lockdown rules.
Labour MP Peter Kyle said: “These outdated laws are hampering the efforts of retailers and customers to do the right thing. In the current crisis, these restrictions make even less sense than they did before. Places of worship can no longer hold any services and one of the few reasons people are allowed out is to get their shopping.
“It makes sense to lift these restrictions so people can do their essential shopping without being put at risk.”
