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Nigel Farage has criticised Waitrose after the supermarket dismissed an employee for confronting a shoplifter, claiming the case shows that “Britain is broken.”
Walker Smith, 54, intervened when a thief attempted to leave the Clapham Junction store with a shopping bag filled with Easter chocolates, he told the Guardian.
During a struggle, several Lindt gold bunnies, each valued at £13, fell to the floor. Smith picked up one of the bunnies and threw it toward a row of trolleys as the thief fled. He insists the throw was not aimed at the shoplifter.
Despite his intentions, the incident was escalated internally, and Smith was fired. He described feeling “demoralised” and anxious about his future, including how he would pay for new accommodation.
Posting on X, Reform UK leader Farage said: “We are now a country that favours criminals over law enforcers. Britain is broken.”
A Waitrose spokeswoman said reports did not “cover the full facts,” confirming that standard procedures and an appeals process were followed. She emphasised that policies exist to protect staff and customer safety.
She continued that Waitrose “would never be able to discuss an individual case”, but added: “We can assure you the correct process is being followed, which includes a standard appeals procedure.”
“We’ve had incidents where our partners have been hospitalised when challenging shoplifters. Luckily, they have always recovered, but that might not always be the case.
“There is a serious danger to life in tackling shoplifters. We refuse to put anyone’s life at risk, and that’s why we have policies in place that are very clearly understood and must be strictly followed.
“As a responsible employer, we never want to be in a position where we are notifying families of a tragedy because someone tried to stop a theft. Nothing we sell is worth risking lives for.”
Shoplifting continues to be an increasing issue in the UK, with 519,000 offences reported in England and Wales from September 2024 to September 2025.
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