Occasionally, and I must stress it’s very occasionally, I sometimes agree with what Esther McVey has to say.

Her politics are a little too far towards the right to sit comfortably with my centrist, middle-of-the-road views, even when she trots out the ‘blue collar Tory’ line.

But I have to confess I have found myself nodding in agreement with her from time to time and this week provided one of those rare occasions.

Ms McVey wants assaulting a shop or frontline worker to be made a criminal offence in its own right – as is the case with the emergency services.

She said the move would show how much staff, who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, are valued and send out a clear message violence or abuse will not be tolerated.

Speaking in Parliament, Ms McVey welcomed the doubling of sentencing for assault on an emergency worker – something she campaigned for – but added other frontline workers needed to have the same protection, saying:

“Isn’t it therefore now time for a specific crime of assaulting shop workers and other customer facing front line workers given the number of assaults on them since this pandemic started has doubled.”

She added: “By making it a specific offence it will make it easier for control of maximum sentences and ensure the toughest penalties for anyone who thinks they can get away with assaulting a front-facing worker. The number of assaults on staff is shocking and no one should go to work in fear.”

She’s right, of course. No one should run the risk of being assaulted just for doing their job.

Ms McVey based her comments on a survey of nearly 5,000 shop workers carried out by shop workers’ union USDAW that found since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, 62 per cent of its members had experienced verbal abuse, almost a third were threatened by a customer and four per cent were assaulted.

The question I would ask is why these figures have increased. What has the pandemic got to do with it? And what is wrong with those people who think it’s OK to abuse or assault shop workers?

My guess it’s got something to do with shop staff having to enforce mask-wearing and social distancing but I’d be happy to hear any other suggestions.