Daniel Zeichner MP welcomed news that the Government finally adopted plans that he, Labour MPs and over 100,000 shoppers have been battling for over several years.

Under new laws, assaulting a shopworker will become a specific criminal offence.

Mr Zeichner has worked closely with local Coop shops and the Cambridge police after he heard horror stories about the level of assaults on Cambridge retail staff. One woman told the MP that in her view, it was only a matter of time before she was stabbed. After a concerted effort with dedicated police support, local shop workers feel safer but there is still much to do.

Daniel Zeichner MP said: “abusing shopworkers simply is not acceptable, and these frontline workers deserve the full protection of the law. This is a significant milestone in protecting shop workers from violence. No one should be afraid of going to work. Abuse should never be part of the job”.

On a recent visit to a series of local shops, Mr Zeichner said that shop workers told him that they have been verbally abused because customers are angry about gaps on supermarket shelves. “Blame Brexit not shop workers!”, said the MP.

Mr Zeichner has spoken out in Parliament on the issue on numerous occasions, while 127 Cambridge people signed a Parliamentary petition calling for the specific offence.