SNP forces another Government U-turn as ministers put plans to extend Sunday trading hours 'on hold'

It follows similar scenario with plans to relax fox hunting ban, which the Government put on hold after the SNP announced it would oppose

Ministers want to extend Sunday opening hours for large stores and supermarkets (PA)

The SNP has forced the Government to make another U-turn - this time on plans to extend Sunday trading hours.

Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary, put the proposals on hold after the SNP announced it would vote against the changes over fears it would undermine workers' salaries in Scotland.

With an estimated 20 Tory MPs expected to rebel on the issue, the Government decided to shelve the plans while it negotiates a deal that would win the support of enough opposition MPs.

The plans, which were due to be introduced in Parliament next week as an amendment to the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill, would allow large stores and supermarkets to open for longer than the currently-permitted six hours on Sundays.

The proposals were made by George Osborne in the summer budget and would give councils and city mayors the power to set their own Sunday trading laws.

But the SNP opposed the current proposals because of a lack of safeguards for workers. The party's Westminster leader Angus Robertson said it agreed with concerns from the shopworkers' union Usdaw that the move to similar hours as weekdays would lead to firms cutting the extra pay that workers are currently given on Sundays.

Mr Robertson welcomed the "U-turn" from Mr Javid, but Downing Street insisted there was "absolutely" no U-turn on the policy, saying it still hoped to secure agreement on the issue.

It follows a similar scenario in the summer when the Scottish nationalists controversially decided to vote against government plans to relax the fox hunting ban, despite the fact that the changes would not have taken affect in Scotland.

The decision prompted an angry reaction from the Prime Minister, who accused the Scottish nationalists of behaving in an “entirely opportunistic” manner.

The SNP said it made the decision to vote in the issue because of fears that changes to the fox hunting ban south of the border, such as allowing it for research purposes as well as pest control, would affect hunting in Scotland, where the current legislation is about to be reviewed.