Reform UK's Robert Jenrick chased a shoplifter from a Greggs in Brixton, south London, after the man snatched a bottle of Dr Pepper from the fast-food chain. The confrontation took place in the middle of the busy high street.
Mr Jenrick said: “You just nicked that, didn’t you? We just watched you take it. Why do you think you are above the law?”
Shoplifter's response
The shoplifter responded: “They always give us drinks.” A furious Mr Jenrick hit back: “Why do you think you can just take things when everyone else is paying for them? Why do you think you don’t have to pay for things? You think you can just walk into shops and nick things?”
The thief then claimed: “We ask and they say yes.” And Reform’s economic spokesman blasted: “Everyone loves shoplifting now, don’t they?” This was met with a response of “yeah”.
Impact on prices
Mr Jenrick continued: “The effect of what you are doing is everyone else’s food and drink just goes up in price. Do you think people can afford that round here?
“Everyone’s finding life tough at the moment. You’re nicking stuff, it sounds like all the time, and it just makes everyone else’s life more expensive.
“I’ll take this back to the shop then, shall I?”
Shoplifting statistics
Shoplifting has fallen by 4% over the past year, with 507,086 offences recorded by forces in England and Wales in 2025-26, down from a record 530,324 in 2024-25. But the number of offences classed as robbery of businesses has nearly doubled, from 15,546 in 2024-25 to 29,669 in 2025-26.
Reacting to the exchange, Nigel Farage's economic spokesman said: “I’m sick of seeing brazen shoplifting and nothing ever happening. In fact, the Government is making it worse by letting prisoners out early.
“The shoplifting epidemic is forcing the cost of the weekly food shop up by £50 for British families. It’s outrageously unfair.
“Reform will come down on shoplifters like a ton of bricks so we can lower food prices and give families some relief.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he wants police forces in England and Wales to “take a strong line against shoplifting”. The Prime Minister said that where police chiefs claim they cannot clamp down on shoplifting, thieves see a “green light” to steal from shops.
