Labour plans to tackle shoplifters as part of a bid to save Britain’s High Streets

Interview with politics expert Dr Steve McCabe

Transcript

00:00Steve, thank you for joining us.

00:04Labour's just announced a new five-point plan to save Britain's high streets.

00:09But how did we get to this point in the first place, with so many of our traditional shopping

00:13centres struggling?

00:15Well, in one word, online.

00:19But dare I say, even before online, the high street was altering, but of course, it always

00:23has done.

00:24That's the nature of progress.

00:27But quite clearly, and we saw this most particularly during the pandemic, which was four years

00:31ago, where of course, that was for many of the ways to get their goods.

00:36The two big things from their proposals are business rates reform and also dealing with

00:42anti-social behaviour and shoplifting.

00:44How necessary are those measures?

00:46Well, undoubtedly, I mean, if you're going to have a high street presence, of course,

00:51there are a number of bills you've got to pay.

00:52I mean, you've certainly got to pay staff, obviously, and you've got to pay gas, electricity,

00:56whatever else.

00:57But of course, business rates, it's something which, of course, local authorities impose.

01:02It's a way, if you like, of them generating revenue, and we know that councils have their

01:06own sort of problems.

01:07So if there was any sort of support that would come from government, which relies on local

01:12authorities to reduce that sort of business rate, that would undoubtedly be of great assistance.

01:17I mean, the other sort of thing you mentioned, I mean, we've got this ludicrous state of

01:20affairs where if somebody sort of steals less than sort of £200 worth of goods, which is

01:25a lot, you know, and this is not happening sort of every week in some cases.

01:30It can be happening sort of on a daily basis, umpteen times.

01:33And of course, what you're sort of seeing is your potential profit going out the door.

01:37And of course, you're possibly into a loss-making situation.

01:40And dare I say, the police are not able to be involved or sort of reluctant to be involved

01:45because, of course, the nature of the law.

01:46So sort of imposing sanctions, which, of course, hopefully would deter people from doing this,

01:51has got to be sort of very welcomed by sort of people who are running high street premises

01:56who, you know, under sort of real, real pressure.