Flip flop approach is killing us in more ways than one

Words by: Frank McKenna Chief Executive Downtown In Business

In October, cabinet minister Michael Gove told the nation that there was absolutely no chance of a national lockdown happening. He was supported by senior colleagues; such a scenario being described as ‘catastrophic’ by the prime minister and an ‘enigma’ by the foreign secretary.

At around the same time, the chancellor was telling regional leaders in the North and the West Midlands that he was not for moving on his furlough scheme – so tier 2 and 3 workers would only receive 67% of their wages from November as opposed to the 80% that had been paid during full lockdown back in April. By Halloween, the ‘enigma’ was triggered. The 80% furlough restored.

But it is not only Tory cabinet members who have demonstrated signs of wild schizophrenia during their chaotic management of the pandemic. In Greater Manchester, mayor Andy Burnham was seething with the government for putting his city-region into stricter lockdown measures in midOctober. In November, he was calling for schools to be closed.

At this rate, few of our politicians are going to come out of this crisis with much credit and it is no surprise to see Nigel Farage return to the fray with his new Reform UK party. Lancashire MP Jake Berry has set up a more interesting initiative, The Northern Research Group, to campaign for the ‘levelling up’ agenda. And his Conservative colleague in the West Midlands Andy Street was hardly complimentary in his comments over the business support packages for the hospitality sector that Rishi Sunak had announced prior to lockdown 2 being introduced.

Our political parties appear divided. The road map out of Covid-19 confused. This leaves business suffering the thing it hates most – uncertainty.

The flip flopping of our leaders, the lack of an end game or clear strategy is leaving business owners and entrepreneurs in despair. Yet that is the only thing that we have in bucket loads currently.

The hospitality sector has been on the frontline of all this. Having spent significant sums making their premises Covid-secure, they have been told that they have to close their doors once again at a time that is usually its busiest. In this issue of DM, we focus on the individuals who have been living through this nightmare – and how they hope to get out of it.

With infection rates continuing to rise, and the economy now in for another major trauma, we have neither protected health nor the economy. The flip flop approach from our politicians is killing us in more ways than one.