London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

UK hospitality industry reportedly plans to legally challenge Downing Street ahead of potential Covid-19 shutdown

UK hospitality industry reportedly plans to legally challenge Downing Street ahead of potential Covid-19 shutdown

British hospitality venues will reportedly challenge the legality of the government restrictions imposed on the sector as London is about to announce new measures that are likely to affect the industry in Northern England.

Lawyers representing more than 10 hospitality organizations, including such major associations as the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) and the British Beer and Pub Association, are expected to file a legal challenge to the latest round of anti-coronavirus restrictions with the Downing Street on Monday – the day when the government plans to outline new measures to slow down the rising infection rate, The Guardian reported.

The upcoming rules are widely expected to include further restrictions for the hospitality sector and potential closure of the venues in Northern England – the region worst affected by the resurging epidemic. The industry bosses, however, argue that the move that is likely to decimate the sector is not substantiated by any “tangible scientific evidence.”

Michael Kill, the chief executive of NTIA – an association representing more than 1,400 businesses, believes the industries have no other option but to confront the government directly. “Another closure will undoubtedly cause extreme hardship,” he told the Guardian.

"We need to know about the government’s methodology, the science behind it, because otherwise it just feels like these measures against the hospitality industry are disproportionate and unfair."


The NTIA already warned in mid-September that the night-time industry is set to lose some 700,000 jobs without sufficient government assistance.

Sacha Lord, the night-time economy adviser for the Greater Manchester area, argues that the lockdowns are basically senseless since the industries already put rigorous measures in place to protect their clients and staff from the disease.

“The vast majority of businesses have put in place impeccable measures to protect their customers, all at an extra cost to their business, yet it feels like the government are taking another cheap shot at the hospitality industry,” he said.

Yet, the pressure on the Downing Street to take additional measures to tackle the Covid-19 issue grows as well. The UK reports record numbers of new daily infections as both Health Secretary Matt Hancock and deputy chief medical officer for England, Jonathan Van-Tam, describing the situation as a “perilous moment” and a “tipping point.”

In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon already imposed tough lockdown measures on hospitality venues for 16 days, allowing indoor bars and restaurants to operate only between 06:00 and 18:00. Outdoor facilities could do that until 22:00 and serve alcohol unlike the indoor ones. The NTIA, however, said that the Scottish measures put the local industries on the brink of collapse.

The UK government already landed in hot water after it was revealed that its strategy in the field of hospitality industries is based on the data collected from just 98 pubs out of the nation’s 48,000. The outcry even forced the Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi to argue that the research results were sound and the sampling of venues was “pretty robust.” The Minister even turned to his own experience in the “serving industry” and called the study “quite a representative” one.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×