Sunak criticised for failing to support travel and tourism

Sunak revealed plans on Friday (9 October) to pay two-thirds of the wages of people working for businesses forced to close their premises by new government lockdown restrictions in England, which are due to be announced next week.

Joss Croft, chief executive of UKinbound, said: “Once again the chancellor has ignored the fact that inbound tourism businesses, that deliver £28 billion in export earnings for the UK every year, are on their knees, unable to fund viable jobs as they’ve been excluded from virtually all government support channels since March.

“Government has already stopped businesses trading due to measures such as quarantine and previous lockdowns, and it therefore needs to compensate all affected companies, not just those facing these new measures or with an obvious shop front.”

Transport and travel union TSSA also reiterated its demand for “targeted support” from the government for travel and said its failure to listen was “appalling”.

General secretary Manuel Cortes added: “We desperately need support for our travel trade which has effectively been put into lockdown as an entire sector. A minister for the travel trade must be established urgently to guide and champion this important industry.

“We have called for targeted support from the outset for good reason. It’s appalling the government has taken so long to listen with countless jobs lost and yet more to come.”