• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Set For Life
      • Thunderball
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Sunak spent £2 million on Eat Out to Help Out focus groups

The former chancellor splashed cash on finding out how popular the scheme would be, but neglected to run it by top medical and scientific advisers.

Jack Peat by Jack Peat
2024-04-12 11:36
in Politics
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Rishi Sunak splashed millions of pounds worth of taxpayer cash on focus groups to craft the messaging behind his planned “eat out to help out” campaign in July 2020, reports in the Guardian show.

Five public opinion contracts worth more than £2 million were negotiated by The Treasury from June 2020 throughout the pandemic, while Sunak was chancellor, helping inform him how best to “sell” the hospitality scheme to voters.

Almost six weeks’ worth of internal emails, released this week, show that the consequences on wider public health were largely an afterthought, with the sole focus going on the popularity of the £850 million policy.

Indeed, even the UK’s top medical and scientific advisers were kept in the dark about the scheme, which is ‘highly likely’ to have increased Covid deaths, according to former chief adviser Patrick Vallance.

It was only the day *after* Sunak’s announcement in July 2020 that anyone suggested asking public if they were worried about how EOtHO would affect spread of Covid, reveal emails which the Treasury has resisted releasing until forced to last week by Information Commissioner

— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) April 11, 2024

The documents obtained by The Guardian reveal that polling for the Treasury in June 2020 found that only 13 per cent agreed the government should create incentives for people to spend on eating out so they could start to return to normal life, while 39 per cent thought it should not be a priority.

In response, the Treasury’s director of communications, Olaf Henricson-Bell, asked colleagues: “Can we test if people are more supportive of the hospitality stuff if it’s framed as about jobs?”

Cass Horowitz, a special adviser who now works for Sunak in No 10, said: “If it helps, Allegra [Stratton, director of strategic communications at the Treasury from April until October 2020] has a nice phrase on this. ‘Eat out, help out’ frames it as supporting the sector/jobs rather than just having a nice time.”

They also reveal that it was only on the day after the announcement of the scheme, on 8 July 2020, that a Treasury official suggested asking the public if they were concerned about its health impact.

An unnamed civil servant emailed Sunak’s team to say: “We should test what people think about health risks of encouraging people to restaurants with EOtHO, eg which of these statements most closely reflects your view?

RelatedPosts

Bernie Sanders slams Netanyahu amid White House visit

Ed Davey urges Keir Starmer to use Macron state visit to ‘show united front’ against Trump’s trade war

“Keir Starmer needs to listen”: Greens call for wealth tax

Panel of 2024 Labour voters say they warmed to Farage after I’m A Celeb

“(1) it’s irresponsible for the government to encourage people to go out to restaurants and risk increasing the spread of coronavirus or (2) too many people’s jobs are at risk – the government is right to encourage people to go out safely.”

On the eve of its launch three weeks later, an unnamed aide suggested polling to ask whether people felt it was “irresponsible” for the government to encourage people to go out to restaurants or if, after months of lockdown and with people’s jobs at risk, it was right to do so.

Related: Police investigating whether Angela Rayner broke electoral law

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

← Police investigating whether Angela Rayner broke electoral law ← Femi reacts to reports French ‘aren’t controlling our borders’
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

-->