Brexit: despatches from the downside – No 7
03/11/2023
Your weekly update from the Brexit ‘downside bunker’, chronicling the downsides, and occasional upsides, of Brexit.
Britain’s total number of licensed premises has fallen by nearly a third over the last two decades, according to new figures from trade body UKHospitality.
From queues in Dover to rising food prices, Brexit has been blamed for a number of things impacting families. But it has given us Rishi Sunak's 'Brexit pub guarantee' - here we look at the good, the bad and the ugly consequences.
It is in Former Brexit Voters that the Flame of a Truly Impactful Rejoin Movement is Now Being Kindled
19/06/2023
Many of the leave voters George Llewelyn met in 2021 were dissatisfied Eurosceptics who are now ardent rejoiners. How did it happen?
Another reason they cited was the effect of the covid pandemic, as well as the difficulty of recruiting staff following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union in 2016.
Widespread pub closures show that there are no shortcuts to a high-wage economy.
Number of hospitality venue closures soars six-fold in a year - triggered by EU staff shortages.
‘Complete nonsense’: hospitality reacts to Jeremy Hunt’s ‘Brexit pub guarantee’ policy in his first budget
16/03/2023
Operators are both baffled and annoyed with the chancellor's supposed assistance. / "To conflate this with Brexit is complete nonsense. They either want to help the pubs or not. If you want a link to Brexit, the damage done is far worse than the freezing of some duty."
Brexiteers promised to “take back control.” But the decision has instead delivered recession, gloom, and despair.
Heartbreak as popular Berkhamsted pub The Lamb announces closure due to 'Covid, Brexit and rising cost of living'
09/01/2022
A spokesperson said: "With a heavy heart, we are sad to announce that we will not be reopening The Lamb’s doors again. With the compound impact of Covid, Brexit & rising cost of living, we can no longer continue to trade and have decided to move on."
Berkhamsted pub announces closure due to ‘Covid, the impact of Brexit and the rising cost of living’
10/01/2023
One of Berkhamsted's oldest pubs has announced that it has permanently closed after dealing with the ‘impact of Covid, the impact of Brexit and the rising cost of living’.
Tom Kerridge says there isn’t a ‘single positive’ about Brexit’s impact on the hospitality industry
03/11/2022
"Overseas workers visas is something we need to be looking at. There's over 200,000 vacancies within hospitality up and down the country."
Nearly 200,000 hospitality workers have left the UK since the pandemic, despite post-Brexit visa schemes introduced by the Government, according to Caterer.com.
"It is a really difficult time to find chefs everyone is struggling, it is a combination of Brexit and COVID. Lots of European chefs have returned to their country and there are not enough English chefs to replace them."
Battle to stabilise hospitality and tourism in the Ribble Valley after blows of Brexit and pandemic
16/06/2022
Tourism and hospitality activity in the Ribble Valley and work to stabilise the constantly-changing visitor economy following Brexit and the pandemic is being discussed by borough councillors this week.
The White Cliffs Hotel is 140 years old but the owner said it suffered a steep downturn after Brexit and the pandemic.
A popular, award-winning pub in Cheshire has been forced to close over the winter due to a 'perfect storm' of issues including the Covid lockdowns and Brexit.
Mitchells & Butlers, part-owned by horseracing tycoons John Magnier and JP McManus, said Brexit had compounded risks around the supply and cost of products as well as labour shortages
"Brexit remains an important event for the market and has created risks for the sector, principally around the supply and cost of products and workforce shortages."
Mitchells says Brexit has compounded risks for the sector.
British holidaymakers heading to Spain at Christmas could miss out on favourite drinks due to alcohol shortage
27/10/2021
British holidaymakers planning to escape to Spain for Christmas could struggle to get their favourite drinks at bars, restaurants and supermarkets due to alcohol shortages.
Brexit and the pandemic have been blamed and some businesses have had to change their opening hours, while others have thrown in the towel.
With inflation set to rise, alongside the cost of shopping and transport, the economic fallout will squeeze Britons’ budgets.
Driver shortages caused by Covid-19 and Brexit mean a pub's much-loved giant pork pies could be off the menu for the first time in years.
How cocktail of Brexit and Covid is causing mounting problems in Folkestone - and across the country
08/09/2021
But over the course of the year, a crisis, fuelled by the decision to leave the European Union, has been steadily, stealthily, stretching its tentacles around many of the services and products we expect and rely on.