Rishi returns to rescue restaurants

The chancellor will hold talks with business leaders today about a new support package for the hospitality sector. Rishi Sunak has cut short a trip to California to hold discussions on how to bolster the sector, after pubs and restaurants said that Christmas bookings had collapsed. Ministers are privately furious with Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, who used a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday night to urge people to limit their social contacts, after Boris Johnson had said that events should go ahead. Sunak said the government had “always stood ready and willing to support the country as required”. His “immediate priority” was to make sure that existing funding given to local councils “gets out the door to those who need it as quickly as possible”. Councils are said to have £250m which has yet to be spent. One government source said “several hundred million more” could be released by the Treasury. The Times (£) The FT (£) The Guardian Photo by Mark Thomas/Shutterstock