HospoDemo to stage third protest as it urges gov to prevent closures

The hospitality industry is set to stage its third protest next month at Parliament Square, urging the government to make policy changes to prevent “catastrophic closures” within the sector.

The protest will be held at 11am on Monday 14 November, with members of the hospitality industry invited to converge on Parliament Square, to urge the government to revise its existing policies relating to hospitality venues.

At the third HospoDemo protest in two years, it said protestors from all corners of the sector including restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, hotels and cafés, are set to come together to “stand up for their industry”.

Dressed in their work uniform, it will ask attendees to come equipped with pots, pans, ladles, cocktail shakers, wooden spoons, last orders bells and other hospitality-related tools with which to “make themselves heard.

At 11am, all protestors will turn to face the Houses of Parliament and make as much noise as possible to ensure the sound resonates within the building, before marching on to HM Treasury to do the same.

HospoDemo added it is expecting a “large turnout due to the perilous position so many hospitality businesses now find themselves in”.

Prominent attendees from previous HospoDemo protests included chefs Yotam Ottolenghi, Jason Atherton, Tom Aikens, Fergus Henderson and Margot Henderson, along with well-known figures in the drinks industry including Monica Berg, Alex Kratena, Alessandro Palazzi, and Jan Konetzki.

The protest will centre around three main demands to the government, with the primary aim being a VAT reduction to 10% on food and drink sales, including alcohol sales, putting the UK in line with many European neighbours.

Protestors are also urging the government to reinstate the business rates holiday, and are demanding they introduce a visa scheme to allow overseas workers to work in hospitality, in an attempt to plug the labour shortage that started with Brexit and was compounded by Covid.

Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy adviser, Greater Manchester, said: “As a sector, we came together over the last few months and unified our calling on the government. We don’t need handouts; we need a reduction in VAT and business rates relief.

“It is now clear to me, that not only do the government not care about the third biggest sector in the UK, they are quite happy to sit back and watch it collapse. If they will not listen to us, we have no alternative but to make them listen. This is businesses, jobs and lives we are fighting for.”