PM pressed to alter pub curfew as more jobs go
BORIS Johnson faces renewed pressure over the 10pm hospitality curfew as a pub chain announced hundreds of job losses and Tory MPs signalled they would rebel in protest at the restriction.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer demanded to see the science behind the policy before a Commons vote expected next week, indicating that the rule should be reviewed if there was no firm evidence for it.
The political pressure on Mr Johnson intensified as Greene King announced it will shut dozens of pubs with the loss of 800 jobs, blaming the “continued tightening of trading restrictions” in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. England’s 10pm rule is stricter than a similar measure in Wales and Northern Ireland’s 11pm curfew – something ministers have reportedly been looking at.
But in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon announced even tighter restrictions from 6pm on Friday in response to rising coronavirus cases.
Indoor hospitality venues will only be allowed to operate from 6am-6pm daily, selling food and non-alcoholic drinks only, while outdoor bars will be allowed to serve alcohol until 10pm.
Concerns over England’s rules have seen Tory critics demand that they are debated in the chamber of the House of Commons next week rather than by a small committee.
In a sign of the concerns on the Conservative benches, Stockton South MP Matt Vickers told the PA news agency it was time to rethink the curfew. “This curfew has led to vast numbers of people being asked to leave pubs at 10pm, and pour on to the streets, many of whom then find their way to the nearest shop, buying cans and bottles to go back to gather in someone’s home.
“The measure has in my view been counterproductive – taking people from the Covid-secure pubs, bars and restaurants to non-compliant gatherings in the streets or private homes.”
He said it was time to “trust and support” hospitality businesses, “not punish them”.
Former minister Steve Baker told ITV News he would oppose the 10pm curfew, which is “badly evidenced and appears to be counterproductive”.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “One question is now screaming out: is there a scientific basis for the 10pm rule?
“The public deserve to know and Parliament deserves to know.”
Neither Mr Johnson nor Downing Street aides highlighted any specific evidence but stressed that the measure should be viewed as part of a package of restrictions aimed at tackling coronavirus.
The Prime Minister told the Labour leader: “The basis on which we set out the curtailment of hospitality was the basis on which he accepted it two weeks ago – that is to reduce the spread of the virus.”
Mr Johnson also faced pressure over his wider strategy for bringing the disease back under control. Official figures showed that as of 9am on Wednesday, there had been a further 14,162 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.
The Government also said a further 70 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.
Professor Calum Semple, a member of the Government’s scientific advisory panel who specialises in disease outbreaks, recommended a “circuit breaker” short national lockdown should be considered to slow the virus.
GREENE King has said it will shut dozens of pubs with the loss of 800 jobs after being hit by tighter restrictions in the face of the pandemic.
The company – whose chain of pubs includes a number of popular Westcountry hostelries including Exeter’s Black Horse, Mount Radford and Ship in Martin’s Lane, and Plymouth’s Fortescue, Golden Hind and Tamar pubs – said it will keep 79 of its sites shut for the time being, with around one third of these closures expected to be permanent. It called on the Government to provide support for the hospitality sector while tightened restrictions, such as the recent 10pm curfew, remain in place.
A spokeswoman for Greene King said: “The continued tightening of the trading restrictions for pubs, which may last another six months, along with the changes to Government support was always going to make it a challenge to reopen some of our pubs.
“Therefore, we have made the difficult decision not to reopen 79 sites, including the 11 Loch Fyne restaurants we announced last week. Around one-third will be closed permanently and we hope to be able to reopen the others in the future. We are working hard with our teams to try and find them a role in another of our pubs wherever possible.
“We urgently need the Government to step in and provide tailored support to help the sector get through to the spring and prevent further pub closures and job losses.”