London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, May 09, 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
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×