Hospitality bosses brand the Covid Inquiry a ‘farce’ as they say Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme saved pubs and restaurants from ‘oblivion’

• READ: More than half of people think Rishi’s Eat Out to Help Out was a ‘bad idea’ 

Hospitality bosses branded the Covid Inquiry a ‘farce’ yesterday for focusing on the Eat Out to Help Out scheme rather than on ‘catastrophic’ lockdowns.

Luke Johnson, part owner of Gail’s bakery and the former boss of Pizza Express, argued that the hearing should look into whether they were ‘proportionate’ or ‘worth it’.

And he said the Eat Out scheme – which Rishi Sunak was grilled about at his appearance at the inquiry – saved pubs and restaurants from ‘oblivion’.

Mr Johnson’s comments came amid growing concern that the hearing has what former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption described as a ‘built-in bias in favour of lockdowns’.

The Eat Out scheme, which offered up to £10 per person off meals in bars and restaurants in August 2020, has proved particularly controversial, with claims it fuelled a rise in Covid cases.

Rishi Sunak was grilled about the Eat Out scheme at his appearance at the inquiry

Luke Johnson, part owner of Gail’s bakery and the former boss of Pizza Express, argued that the hearing should look into whether they were ‘proportionate’ or ‘worth it’

But hospitality chiefs said the inquiry should be examining the overall damage caused by lockdowns, rather than focusing on the scheme. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Johnson said the inquiry was a ‘waste’ of million of pounds of taxpayers’ money.

He added: ‘I think the whole thing is a farce. They are asking the wrong questions. They are not asking the key questions – which is, was lockdown proportionate and was it worth it?

‘I think lockdowns were a catastrophe – the collateral damage was completely ignored. There was never a proper test of whether the benefits were worth the cost.’

He added: ‘The hospitality industry is one that employs two million people – it is one of the largest in the country.

‘And it had been forced to close for many months and many thousands of businesses were close to the edge. They were desperate, facing oblivion.’

The Eat Out scheme, which offered up to £10 per person off meals in bars and restaurants in August 2020, has proved particularly controversial, with claims it fuelled a rise in Covid cases

READ MORE: More than half of people think Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out was a ‘bad idea’, new poll shows – as PM prepares to face claims that the scheme helped spread the virus at the Covid Inquiry

His thoughts were echoed by Tim Martin, founder of pub chain JD Wetherspoon, who said ‘a sensible and speedy analysis of the lessons of the pandemic is clearly now needed’. He said a campaign of fear from the Government meant ‘we ended up with some idiotic policies, with doubtful contributions to health, including curfews, moonshots, rules of six and other pointless soundbites’.

Sacha Lord, from the Night Time Industries Association, said: ‘We need to shine a light on why hospitality was treated so badly.’

He pointed to ‘ridiculous policy decisions’, including a 10pm curfew on pubs – which pushed everyone out of venues at the same time – and a requirement to have a ‘substantial meal’ with alcohol, and the tiered system of restrictions which saw punters flock to nearby cities on packed trains. He said Eat Out ‘probably didn’t work’ and suggested the money could ‘have been spent in better places to support us financially’.

However, Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality, said: ‘At the time, Eat Out to Help Out was an economic boost for the sector when it needed it the most.

‘Venues were operating with extensive mitigation measures in place, such as Test and Trace, reduced capacity, staff wearing PPE, table service only, no cash payments and one-way systems, to ensure it was as safe as possible for both staff and guests.’

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