“A permanent change would harm small traders, workers’ rights, and further damage relations between the Church and the Government. I will not support the move”.  The temporary relaxation was only was approved by the House of Commons on the condition that it would not be permanent.

Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, claimed the move would “damage relations between the Church and Government”, as David Cameron refused to rule out lifting the restrictions.

Ministers have been pushing for the trading laws to be relaxed in the hope that it could boost Britain’s stagnant economy.

Large shops are currently only allowed to open for six hours between 10am and 6pm but these limits were temporarily lifted during the Olympics.

Asked whether he would support changes to the law, Mr Cameron would not say whether longer opening hours could become permanent.

“We said at the time it was a specific thing for the Olympics and that was the proposal that we made,” he said.

The Government could lift the restrictions as part of a economic regeneration bill, but it would be likely to create new tensions in the Coalition.

Senior Liberal Democrats, including Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, are understood to oppose the idea, opening up a new rift after the rows over Lords reforms and changes to Parliamentary boundaries.

Some MPs in the Conservative Party are also anxious that the move could harms small corner shops, which have an advantage over supermarkets as they are allowed to open round the clock.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The source for this document was originally published on The Telegraph—however, the original URL is no longer available.]