'No great surprise' on 21 June decision

Further reading:

• What are the rules for pubs from Monday 21 June?​   - Broadly speaking, Covid measures in pubs won't change from next week as the proposed lifting of restrictions at step four of the Government's roadmap has been postponed until Monday 19 July.

• Scottish pubs in ‘never-ending hell’ after delayed unlocking​ - The Scottish Government has been told the hospitality sector is at a “breaking point” with trading restrictions set to continue into the summer.

• ‘Bitterly disappointed’ trade bodies write to PM demanding further support​ - Industry associations including the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), UKHospitality (UKH), the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) and the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) have written to Boris Johnson calling for further support.

• Restriction easing delay 'to cost pubs £400m'​ - The four-week postponement of lockdown easing from Monday 21 June to Monday 19 July will cost the trade £100m per week, one trade body has estimated.

• The final betrayal?​ - A further kicking of the can down the road should probably not come as much of a surprise for an industry that has felt the full force of those kicks in the last year and a half.

• Roadmap delay ‘will force 1 in 4 night-time businesses to close for good’​ - Following reports in the national media that the Government is expected to announce a four week delay to releasing all restrictions, one in four businesses in the night-time sector have stated they will not survive longer than a month without further support.

• Delivery driver shortage now at ‘catastrophic proportions’​ - A national lack of HGV drivers due to the coronavirus pandemic is now being hit further by the reopening of shops and the hospitality sector, causing concerns about costs.

• Commercial eviction ban will 'banish a grim shadow'​ - The commercial eviction ban is to be extended by nine months as pubs continue to face mounting rent debt.