Nigel Farage has lashed out after Waitrose sacked an employee who caught a shoplifter, fuming that it is a sign that “Britain is broken”. Walker Smith confronted a thief who had filled a shopping bag with Easter chocolate and was trying to leave the store in Clapham Junction, London, without paying.
The 54-year-old told The Guardian that he grabbed the bag and a struggle ensued, in which the carrier split and several Lindt gold bunnies worth £13 each fell to the floor. Mr Walker picked up a piece and threw it towards a row of shopping trolleys in frustration as the shoplifter fled the supermarket. He said he did not aim it at the thief, but he was reprimanded by his manager, and the incident was escalated internally – ultimately leading to his dismissal.
Reform UK leader Mr Farage vented his anger at the sacking, posting on social media site X: “We are now a country that favours criminals over law enforcers. Britain is broken.”
Following his dismissal, Mr Smith said he felt “demoralised” and worried about his future, including his ability to afford his new accommodation.
He was told by Waitrose not to confront shoplifters, but said his growing frustration with rising thefts from the store led him to react.
A Waitrose spokeswoman said reports of the incident did not “cover the full facts of the situation”.
She said the supermarket “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.”
The spokeswoman also said there were policies to protect the safety and security of staff and customers.
“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 blight UK retail, with 519,000 offences recorded in England and Wales between September 2024 and September 2025.
The Waitrose spokeswoman added: “We have campaigned for some time for more to be done to protect shop workers from offenders, including retail crime being made into a specific standalone offence.”