Keep cool heads, businesses told
FIRMS may have overreacted by shutting down completely, the Prime Minister’s former chief business adviser says today in a plea to bosses to keep “cool heads” and the economy open.
Andrew Griffith, who worked for Boris Johnson in Downing Street until he was elected as a Conservative MP in December, says moves such as the closure of drive-through fast food outlets may have “actually undermined the national effort” against the pandemic.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Griffith says: “The drive-through McDonald’s in my constituency was one of few such facilities in rural West Sussex, full of blue-light workers day and night who were grateful for a coffee, clean WC and a bite to eat on the way to or from their shift. Where are all those essential workers supposed to go now?”
Mr Griffith, who represents Arundel and South Downs, says the “most comprehensive [support] anywhere in the
world” put in place by the Chancellor means business leaders and self-employed people have “greater certainty and a valuable safety net”.
He adds: “In return, let’s maintain cool heads and keep the economy open for business.”
A growing number of businesses have opted to shut even their online operations, stoking fears of a deep and long-lasting recession.
The fashion chain Next surprised officials last week by announcing the “difficult decision” to close its website because many of its warehouse workers “increasingly feel they should be at home”.
Mr Griffith said the array of businesses and staff still working, including at warehouses, farms, takeaways, in telecoms and supermarkets, were vital to the campaign against coronavirus.
He says: “Far from being shamed for remaining open, as some on the Left advocate, they deserve our thanks and applause for their work during this national emergency.” The unnecessary closure of some places also risked causing permanent damage to Britain’s international trade, warned Mr Griffith.
“Export markets founded on historical ties and trading patterns once lost may never return again,” he said. “The Asian economies that never shut down
‘Far from being shamed for remaining open, as some on the Left advocate, they deserve our thanks’
to the extent that we already have are awakening and more than happy to plug the gaps left when the phone at a UK supplier rings unanswered.”
The intervention comes as a survey from the CBI found business activity in consumer services, including bars, restaurants and travel agencies, was expected to fall at the fastest rate since the 2009 recession.
The CBI added the survey was done before strict social distancing measures came into force.