See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 12:10 BST, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 12:10 BST, 3 July 2026
A Labour ally of Andy Burnham has called for planning rules to be relaxed to encourage more budget supermarkets to open in working class areas and alleviate the cost of living crisis.Yuan Yang said that the likes of Aldi and Lidl should be enticed to open stores in working class 'food deserts' - neighbourhoods with few outlets - though changes to regulations.Writing for the Labour organisation the Fabian Society she also said that Sunday trading laws should be liberalised in the short term to stop working people having to rely on smaller, more expensive shops that are allowed to open later than supermarkets.'These smaller shops cost consumers 10-20 per cent more than large supermarkets thanks to higher prices and fewer offers,' she wrote.'In the longer run, we can also look at planning laws to make it easier for supermarkets to build in new areas, such as relaxing car park requirements. 'Previous policy changes that allowed the expansion of Lidl and Aldi created ''estimated welfare gains of 3.5 per cent on certain basic products''.'The government could look at specific development rights for low-cost supermarkets, especially in areas that are not served by larger shops. 'This would reduce ''food deserts'' where shoppers are potentially paying higher prices at corner shops or ''express'' supermarkets.'Ms Yang, a former economist and journalist, has been MP for Earley and Woodley since 2024. She has been tipped for a ministerial role under Mr Burnham and has praised his 'Manchesterism' plan for Britain. Yuan Yang said that the likes of Aldi and Lidl should be enticed to open stores in working class 'food deserts' - neighbourhoods with few outlets - though changes to regulations
