MP Helen Jones has called on the Government to ‘allow’ shop workers to participate in commemorations of the Armistice centenary – and will be writing to retailers on the issue.

Labour’s Warrington North MP acted after being contacted by constituents and Usdaw, which represents shop workers.

The union was concerned that staff, who have to work on Sundays, would be excluded from ceremonies marking 100 years since the end of the First World War.

And Mrs Jones has claimed ‘the Government just doesn’t get it’ after raising the matter.

She added: “They have simply repeated that those who work on Sundays can opt out at any time.

“This ignores the fact that people now have to accept Sunday working in order to get a job and that my question was about this particular day.

“Shop workers, like everyone else, will have lost relatives in conflict and will wish to take part in the events being planned, yet it is clear that the Government has not considered them at all.”

Mrs Jones said she would be writing to major retailers, asking what they would be doing to enable staff who wished to mark the centenary to do so, while encouraging colleagues to join her.