Pledge
“Labour will … create a new specific offence for assaults on shopworkers that will protect them from threats and violence”
Our verdict
The Crime and Policing Act contains a new offence of assault against a retail worker, but we don’t know yet when this will come into force.
Labour’s manifesto pledged to create a “new specific offence” for assaults on shop workers.
Assaults of retail staff in their workplace can already be prosecuted in a variety of ways through existing legislation, including the Offences against the Person Act 1861, the Public Order Act 1986 and the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
Labour’s change would make it a specific offence in law to assault a member of shop staff. A law passed in 2018 made it a specific offence to assault an emergency worker (such as police, paramedics, or firefighters) or those helping them.
This pledge applies to England and Wales, as criminal law is largely devolved in both Scotland—where a similar law was passed in 2021—and Northern Ireland.
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The Crime and Policing Act achieved Royal Assent on 29 April 2026 and includes a provision containing a new specific offence of assault on retail workers at work. However, we don’t yet know when this provision will come into force, so for now we’re rating this pledge as “appears on track”.
The Act specifies that the new offence, when introduced, will carry a maximum penalty of six months or an unlimited fine, and places a presumption on the courts to impose a criminal behaviour order (CBO) on defendants upon first conviction.
The definition of “retail worker” includes volunteers and people who are “working there for or on behalf of the owner or occupier” of the premises, while the offence applies not only to staff in shops but also retail stalls and vehicles.
We asked the Home Office in July 2026 when exactly this provision will come into force and will update this page when we receive a response.
Correction 23 July 2026
We’ve corrected this page to reflect that the relevant provision of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 has not yet come into force.
As we develop this Government Tracker we’re keen to hear your feedback. We’ll be keeping the Tracker up to date and adding more pledges in the coming months.
Later this year I will bring forward a new plan for Britain. A ten-year plan, laying out a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want Britain to be.
Andy Burnham, Prime Minister – 20 July 2026
Progress displayed publicly—so every single person in this country can judge our performance on actions, not words.
Sir Keir Starmer, then-Prime Minister – 24 September 2024