The slump in bookings and takings in West End restaurants and bars over the first two days of the new Tier 2 restrictions was unsurprising and heralds the start of what threatens to be some grim weeks ahead.
Indeed, we report forecasts today of as many as 200,000 job losses to come in London’s hospitality sector, on top of those already suffered.
At the same time, some of the capital’s most well-known chefs, Jason Atherton and Tom Kerridge, are among those taking their concerns to Downing Street today in a protest calling for support for their afflicted industry. Mr Atherton predicts that without it there will be an “unemployment crisis that will cost this country dearly”.
He and others are right to speak out, as the Evening Standard will continue to do too, because the current situation is clearly intolerable. It is simply not fair that businesses hamstrung by government-imposed restrictions are being given no support to help them cope with the inevitable drop in custom.
Nor does it make sense that those businesses would actually be better off, in terms of government help, if forced to shut altogether through the introduction of even more stringent Tier 3 provisions or a full lockdown.
Both those options would be disastrous and must be avoided because of the damage they would inflict in so many areas of our lives.
Instead, proper financial help must be given to help businesses survive while we remain at the current level of restrictions.
That will inevitably cost significant sums of money on top of the huge outlays already made by the Government during the pandemic.
But it’s needed because hospitality, which is so vital to this city’s prosperity and appeal, and other businesses need to remain viable so they can help lead recovery once the pandemic is under control.
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Closures and mass unemployment must be avoided so the Government must dig deep once again.
Convict more rapists
New guidance which aims to increase the likelihood of rapists being punished was published today by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The measures include advice to ensure that “sexting” messages containing explicit images are not misinterpreted as consent to sex and other recommendations on countering myths that might undermine the chances of convictions.
The guidance also makes clear that there should be “no presumption” that a complainant’s mobile should be “inspected, retained or downloaded” and that “wholly irrelevant material” must not be examined.
The edict is a bid to stop what campaigners say is “digital strip searching” and must succeed to ensure women are not deterred from coming forward.
The same applies to the rest of today’s guidance too because the dismally low number of rape convictions currently being achieved suggests that many perpetrators continue to get away with this hideous crime. That has to change. Rape is one of the worst of all offences and its victims deserve justice.
