The British Retail Consortium (BRC) says as many as 400 shops could close due to the proposed business rates rise, which will impact  buildings with a value of over £500,000.

The BRC projects around 100,000 jobs could be lost and business rates from retail paid to local councils could decrease by £100 million a year.

It is now calling on the Government to amend the proposed plans to ease the pressure on retailers.

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Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The Chancellor can back families, jobs and high streets this Autumn, by excluding large shops from the new higher business rates tax band.

“This would not cost the Exchequer a penny, yet would help secure the future of 400 retail stores and the communities they support right across the country. But failure to act risks shuttering hundreds more stores, costing jobs, communities and the economy far more in the long run.”