A busy August was a welcome boost for many, but the coming months will bring evictions and job losses
The government has treated the pandemic as a political campaign. Given the choice between style and substance, it has opted at every turn for big, splashy gestures, lurching from one gimmicky announcement to the next. But unlike many of its responses to the Covid-19 crisis, the “eat out to help out” scheme launched by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has been a remarkable PR hit with the British population.
More than 60m discounted meals have been claimed as part of the scheme. The trade body UK Hospitality is calling for it to be extended, and some restaurants are funding their own discounts into September in a bid to keep footfall going. But while every eat out to help out restaurant participant I’ve spoken to has been grateful for the short-term boost, many have also been ambivalent about the scheme’s effects – and doubtful it has done enough to confront the deepening crisis the hospitality industry faces.
Related: Boris Johnson has given us a new mantra: Leave home. Forget the NHS. Save Pret | Marina Hyde
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