Addressing delegates at the USDAW trade union conference on Monday, Keir Starmer voiced his anger at the threats shop staff face while doing their job
Keir Starmer has said the tide could be turning in tackling Britain’s shoplifting epidemic.
The Prime Minister voiced his fury that retail staff face threats and violence at work. In a speech at the USDAW trade union conference he said it is disgraceful that shop workers “feel sick to their stomach” as he pledged more protection.
The PM told delegates he had been struck by a letter he received from a woman who had suffered vile racist abuse. He said: “It is disgraceful that people, just working in their shop, have to take abuse from customers.
“It is disgraceful – that people feel sick to the stomach thinking about how they are going to get through the day. And it is disgraceful – that people can have their lives and livelihoods ruined by persistent shop theft.”
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And he told delegates: “We’re not going to fob you off with half-measures.” Data released last week by the Office for National Statistics revealed a small drop in shoplifting cases in 2025, with a 1% fall after it soared to record levels. But there were still nearly 510,000 incidents in just 12 months, ONS found.
Home Office figures showed that the overall charge rate for shoplifting suspects had gone up by 17% – a move officials say is due to increased town centre patrols.
The PM pointed to new laws going through Parliament to make abusing and assaulting retail workers a specific crime. He said: “I’m not blind to how big this challenge is.
“But the number of people charged has gone up by 17% in the latest stats. Shop theft is down – it’s only slightly down, but the tide could be turning.”
And he said that with better use of technology some forces have managed to double the number of shoplifters charged. It came after he read out a letter he had received from shop worker named Finnola who was racially abused at work.
The supermarket worker wrote: “A few years ago, I was verbally abused by a customer when I asked if he needed assistance. He started shouting racist remarks at me. And he threatened to go after my children. I felt so scared, my legs were shaking.”
The PM told Fionnola, who was watching on: “What you went through was really awful. But the really important thing is – we heard you.”