Iceland chain offers job to man sacked by Waitrose after confronting shoplifter

Keir Starmer’s cost of living tsar, who is the chair of Iceland, has offered a job to a worker who was sacked from Waitrose after trying to stop a shoplifter.Waitrose faced public outcry over its treatment of Walker Smith, who was fired two days after he stopped the shoplifter taking items from the Easter egg display, including Lindt chocolate bunnies.Richard Walker responded by offering Smith a job at one of his stores. In a LinkedIn post, he wrote: “You’re welcome to a job with us. We even share the same name …”An Iceland spokesperson confirmed to the Guardian that the supermarket chain had been in touch with Smith and offered him a job.Lord Walker was appointed as a peer by Starmer last year and was earlier this year appointed the government’s cost of living champion, advising No 10 on how to help struggling households.Members of the public have also started a fundraiser for the sacked shop worker, to help with his rent and bills, which has at the time of writing had raised over £7,500.Smith, 54, who was sacked from the Clapham Junction shop, had worked at Waitrose for 17 years. He said he had “grabbed the bag”, but that the shoplifter snatched it back. A brief struggle followed, before the bag snapped and the items fell to the floor.Smith said one of the bunnies broke into pieces, and he picked up a piece and “threw it out of frustration” towards some shopping trolleys, insisting he had not aimed at the shoplifter as they fled.He said he had apologised to his manager for his role in the incident, having previously been instructed not to approach suspected shoplifters. Smith added that he was frustrated because he had seen shoplifting “happen every hour of every day for the last five years”.On Sunday, Smith made a social media post thanking the public for their support and asking with help to find a job. He wrote: “I didn’t think it would blow up like this but now it has my priority is getting a job. I’m based in Clapham Junction so if you or anyone you know is looking for a reliable, conscientious employee please reach out.”Waitrose has doubled down on its decision to sack Smith, and said in a statement: “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.“The reporting on this does not cover the full facts of the situation. While we would never be able to discuss an individual case, we can assure you the correct process is being followed, which includes a standard appeals procedure.”Politicians had previously criticised Waitrose for sacking Smith and failing to reinstate him. Nigel Farage said in a post on his X account: “We are now a country that favours criminals over law enforcers.”The shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, called on Waitrose to reinstate Smith, accusing the supermarket of acting “disgracefully”.