Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey meets with senior Fed member in Salford

Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey met with a senior member of the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) in her Salford constituency on Friday, February 27 to discuss the challenges his business faces and the steps the government can take to support him.

Ms Long-Bailey has represented the Salford area of Manchester since 2015 and was pleased to meet with Mr Vekaria again after having had contact with him and his family on previous occasions over her years representing the area.

Mr Vekaria is a senior member of the Fed, currently serving as vice president of its North West district, and he has spoken to the national media in the past about the challenges faced by small shops, particularly rising retail crime.

Mr Vekaria highlighted some of the measures he has taken recently at his One Stop store to partially control the challenge of rising theft and was able to show his MP age verification and AI features linked to his CCTV to better identify potential threats.

However, he also emphasised the vital role his shop plays in providing essential products to the heart of his community and the trust factor which enables him to work with people in the local community when anti-social behaviour might occur.

During the meeting, Mr Vekaria also spoke about the challenge of rising business rates bills and Ms Long-Bailey said she was open to new perspectives that might help businesses reduce their costs.

He shared ideas for reform, which would level the playing field between online retailers and brick and mortar shops, which would benefit many of the latter who are shortly likely to face escalating bills after the November 2025 Budget and the forthcoming Business Rates Bill Revaluation in April 2026.

Mr Vekaria also identified oncoming regulatory challenges – particularly those linked to Tobacco and Vape licences. While he said that the Fed was not necessarily opposed to all these measures, it was important that the independent retail sector was supported by clear guidance from government, and genuine support from local authority trading standards.

Ms Long-Bailey said: “I have met with Mr Vekaria’s family over the years, so it was invaluable for me to catch-up with Priyesh and discuss the valuable services he provides his customers and the people in his part of Salford. I look forward to working with him further in the future regarding the issues we discussed – as well as with the Federation of Independent Retailers in Parliament.”

Mr Vekaria added: “It was a very positive meeting indeed and I would like to thank Rebecca for her clear interest. The Fed and I will continue to work with her to raise the challenges we face in terms of rising commercial and government costs – as well as the ongoing retail crime challenge and more. I look forward to seeing her in the shop again soon!”