Who do you want as the next PM?
Survey
Who would you trust to understand and safeguard the interests of UK pubs as Prime Minister more?
Ben Wallace
10%Dominic Raab
1%Jeremy Hunt
3%Liz Truss
6%Michael Gove
1%Nadhim Zahawi
2%Penny Mordaunt
7%Priti Patel
3%Rishi Sunak
18%Sajid Javid
3%Steven Barclay
2%Tom Tugendhat
9%None of the above
29%Not sure
6%
Off the back of his resignation, The Morning Advertiser has also taken a look at what Boris Johnson has said and done about pubs during his term.
Less than a year after Johnson became Prime Minister on 23 July 2019 following Theresa May before the Conservative Party won the general election in December of the same year.
Three months later, the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK and on Monday 16 March 2020, Johnson told the public to avoid all “unnecessary travel” and “avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues”.
Track record
Later that week, he ordered pubs, cafés, bars and restaurants to close while the Chancellor announced a new Government grant will cover 80% of employees’ wages.
Johnson then confirmed pubs could reopen from 4 July with various rules in place.
However, later in the year (October), the PM announced “non-essential businesses” including pubs had to close from Thursday 5 November, for a month as part of the nation’s second lockdown.
When lockdown eased, the tiered system was introduced with restrictions such as an 11pm curfew and the substantial meal rule, prompting fierce debate around what that meant and the “Scotch egg debate”.
When the new year rung in, a third national lockdown was announced with restrictions similar to lockdown one were imposed.
English residents were told to stay at home under tougher measures including the closure of schools, Johnson revealed in a televised address from Downing Street.
Previous history
Pubs were then permitted to reopen outside from April and inside from May. Towards the end of 2021, Johnson stated England would be moving to Plan B, following the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
While the Prime Minister announced the legal requirement to wear a face covering would be extended to most public indoor venues, hospitality settings were exempt from this, it was later revealed.
In addition, he urged those who could work from home to do so, impacting trade for venues in towns and city centres.
This caused a double-digit sales drop over the festive period of 2021 for Britain’s managed pub, bar and restaurant groups, according to reports, with many Christmas parties and gatherings cancelled or postponed until the new year.
At the same time Plan B restrictions were dropped, there were reports of parties taking place during lockdown involving various MPs including the PM.
Johnson announced his resignation earlier this week (Thursday 7 July) following more than 50 MPs resigning in less than three days.
