Scotch egg debate shows pub hardship not taken seriously

Further reading: ​

• What happened in the first episode of Tom Kerridge's Saving Britain's Pubs?​ - The plight pubs face is no secret in the trade and this has been the subject of Tom Kerridge's latest programme - Saving Britain's Pubs.

• Saving Britain’s Pubs episode 2: Kerridge quizzes Punch boss and coronavirus hits​ - In the latest episode of Saving Britain’s Pubs with Tom Kerridge, viewers saw the celebrity chef question Punch boss Clive Chesser and saw the first effects of coronavirus on the trade.

• £2bn supermarket rate payback ‘should go to pubs’​ - The nearly £2bn worth of rate relief supermarkets are paying back should be handed to the hospitality and tourism sector, in a bid to help the trade survive the coronavirus pandemic, a trade body has said.

• Financial support for Welsh pubs to outstrip English and Scottish counterparts several times over​ - The average Welsh pub will receive four times as much grant funding as Scottish sites and more than three times that of the average English pub during the festive period, new research has found.

• 'Fatal mistake' to include pubs in Christmas relaxation, PM says ​ - The Prime Minister suggested it would be a “fatal mistake” to permit different households to socialise at pubs when rules are relaxed at Christmas.

• Cinemas serving pints without food 'outrageous' ​ - Operators have said it “beggars belief” that cinema-goers will be allowed to order just alcohol while pub goers must eat-in when lockdown laws lift.

• Seasonal goodwill or small beer: What financial support is available to Britain’s pubs this winter? ​ - Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement of a £1,000 spur for England’s “wet pubs” ahead of a Commons vote on new Covid-secure tiers, The Morning Advertiser rounds up what funding is available across the UK. 

• What is a substantial meal?​ - With a number of pubs expected to only be allowed to remain open if serving food when the latest tier measures are revealed, The Morning Advertiser takes a look at what constitutes a “substantial” meal.

• Shaky evidence fails to support government action​ - I've read the evidence for closing the hospitality sector, and I must admit that I'm bewildered, writes Ian Cass, managing director of the Forum for British Pubs.

• ‘Token gesture’ £1k grant an ‘insult’ to pubs​ - The Prime Minister’s announcement of wet-led pubs receiving a £1,000 grant to help them through Christmas has been met with dismay from the trade, with industry leaders saying it doesn't go far enough.

• Tier drop: what impact could the new Covid-19 alert system have on pubs?​ - The day after another 696 coronavirus-related deaths were recorded across the UK – the highest daily total since start of May – the Government has cooked up a new three-tiered trifle to force feed the embattled on-trade.