The meeting, held in Horden, County Durham, was held on Friday, August 7, between Grahame Morris, MP for Easington, and Jason Birks, former national president of the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed). Kayleigh Shaw, the Fed’s member development executive, also attended the meeting in support of Mr Birks. Retail crime was another focus of the discussions, with Mr Birks relaying ongoing concerns about shop theft. "Independent retailers should not be left to tackle these challenges alone. The meeting follows previous talks between the two in Parliament during earlier Fed lobbying on behalf of small shops.