Thieves who target wealthy department stores should get lighter sentences than if they steal from a corner shop , a senior Labour MP claims today . David Lammy , an ex-Government minister and barrister , said the likes of luxury goods shop Fortnum and Mason could more easily absorb the loss . The London mayoral candidate wants the law to be changed so the seriousness of shoplifting is decided by the impact on the victim – rather than the monetary value of the item stolen . But Tory London Mayor Boris Johnson today condemned the 'absurd ' idea , insisting it was wrong to 'minimise shoplifting from swish , posh shops ' . London Mayoral hopeful David Lammy says thieves who target wealthy department stores should get lighter sentences than if they steal from a corner shop . Experts also warned it would make shoplifters more likely to target supermarkets . Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said : ‘ Labour ’ s justice policies are pretty thin on the ground at the best of times , but this latest contribution hardly seems a sensible one . ‘ All forms of stealing are wrong – and suggesting that some people are better able to afford being the victim of it sends all the wrong sorts of messages. ’ Mr Johnson branded Mr Lammy 's comments ‘ absurd ’ . He told LBC radio : 'If he is seriously saying that we should discount or minimise shoplifting from swish , posh shops then I think he is totally wrong because it is a crime wherever it is committed . 'It ’ s important to crack down on it . Tesco ’ s have got oodles of money – or actually slightly less than they used to – but it doesn ’ t mean it ’ s right to nick stuff from anywhere . 'That ’ s why we are cracking down on burglary and shoplifting . ' Currently , the law decides what constitutes a ‘ serious ’ shoplifting offence on the basis of an item ’ s value . In a pamphlet for the Policy Exchange think-tank , Tottenham MP Mr Lammy says : ‘ The impact of a £150 theft , for example , would be far greater on an independent corner shop than on Fortnum & Mason , yet this is not reflected under the current Act . ‘ It is self-evident that the impact of a £200 theft to a large retailer is much smaller that it would be to a small , independent retailer . 'Many rightly argue that the seriousness of shoplifting should not be based on the value , but on the impact to the victim. ’ Less impact : The London mayoral candidate believes thieves should receive more lenient punishments for stealing from stores such as Fortnum & Mason than from corner shops . Tory London Mayor Boris Johnson today condemned the 'absurd ' idea , insisting it was wrong to 'minimise shoplifting from swish , posh shops ' . The idea will prove hugely controversial as , for the first time , it would make the wealth of the victim a factor in deciding sentencing . Critics warn it is a slippery slope which might lead to other crimes – such as burglary – being added to the list . But Mr Lammy , whose constituency was hit by rioting in 2011 , insists : ‘ As with most types of property crime , the social costs of shoplifting are regressive – they hit poorest communities hardest . Mr Lammy 's idea will prove hugely controversial as , for the first time , it would make the wealth of the victim a factor in deciding sentencing . ‘ Small local businesses in more deprived areas , operating on small profit/loss margins , are least able to absorb the costs of theft and are obliged to pass these costs on to their customers through increased prices. ’ David Green , a criminologist and director of the Civitas think-tank , said : ‘ What any sensible legal system is doing is weighing up the degree of moral responsibility of the person who perpetrated the act . ‘ It is completely wrong to punish someone more severely because they stole from a poor person than if they stole from a supermarket . ‘ It would encourage people to steal from supermarkets rather than elsewhere because they would know they would get a lighter sentence. ’ Mr Lammy ’ s Policy Exchange report , which will be launched at a speech in London today , warns the police and the courts are turning a blind eye to property crime . Some one in three burglaries and nine in ten shoplifting incidents are not reported to the police because the victims have no faith the case will be properly dealt with . John Munroe , of the British Retail Consortium , said : ‘ Any suggestion a crime against a retailer or staff should be treated any differently because of the type of store , or the place it ’ s in , is absolutely nonsensical . ‘ Retailers are at the heart of every community , whether that ’ s a high-end shop in Knightsbridge or one in David Lammy ’ s constituency of Tottenham . ‘ Crimes against them are not victimless , they have a direct impact on the local community . Wherever the crime takes place , shoplifters should be persecuted as they normally would be. ’ Shoplifting has been repeatedly downgraded in seriousness by the authorities over the past decade . The process began when Labour announced that , where the items stolen were worth less than £200 , the offender could escape with an £80 on-the-spot fine instead of going to court . In many cases , the offenders simply don ’ t bother to pay .
David item theft law should be amended to consider charges of theft . London mayoral candidate puts this ahead of monetary charges of item stolen . Boris Johnson says it is ' absurd ' to ever suggest it is OK to steal . Currently charges of shoplifting is decided on stolen product 's value .