Putting London in Tier 3 will see 1,250 pubs close and ‘put nearly 8,000 jobs at risk ’, BBPA warns

Thousands of jobs will be put at risk as a result of the Government placing London under Tier 3 restrictions from Wednesday, the British Beer & Pub Association has warned.

The trade association issued the stark warning on Monday evening after Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed that Greater London, and parts of Hertfordshire and Essex, are to be placed under the strictest tier restrictions from 00.01 Wednesday December 16.  

It said that its members’ information suggests that in London alone the switch from Tier 2 - under which pubs were allowed to remain open as long as they served alcohol with a substantial meal - to Tier 3 will see 1,250 premises shut.

The BBPA said that without serious additional support from Government this will see a further 8,000 hospitality sector jobs put at risk, on top of around 56,000 already under threat in London’s pub sector.

London is home to 3,680 pubs, according to the organisation, and all will be shuttered except for providing takeaway meals and pints from Wednesday, in what would have traditionally been one of the busiest weeks of the year.

In total, more than 15,489 venues in the capital will be affected. It will mean that, from Wednesday, more than 53% of all hospitality venues in England will only be able to serve takeaways.  

BBPA chief executive, Emma McClarkin, called London’s re-allocation to Tier 3 “another nail in the coffin for London’s pubs” and said that the “survival of the great British pub as we know it hangs in the balance”. 

She said: “It could completely destroy many pubs in London and parts of Hertfordshire and Essex who have taken bookings for the lead up to Christmas and New Year’s Eve, if the tiers don’t change before then.

"It is cruel on hardworking publicans doing all they can to support their communities and invest in implementing all the required safety measures. 

“A far bigger package of financial support, with wider eligibility for all businesses impacted, across all regions, is needed if our sector is to survive the tier two and three restrictions this winter.”

Reacting to the news, Nick Mackenzie, boss of pub giant Greene King, said that “moving London and other areas into Tier 3 the week before Christmas will further cripple the pub sector, which is already on its knees and impact on the livelihoods of our team members and tenants”.

He added: “This week would normally be a bumper week for pubs in the capital, instead, many will have to close their doors yet again… What we need from the government now is further support to help hospitality businesses get through to the spring.”

McClarkin also called for further support for the hard-hit hospitality supply chain.

“Support also needs to be made available to brewers and the wider supply chain businesses also seeing a major trade channel closed overnight,” she added.

It comes after the organisation warned earlier on Monday - ahead of the announcement - that UK pub beer sales are expected to be up to 90% down on normal December levels.

This would mean publicans served around 270 million fewer pints than in the lead-up to Christmas in 2019.

The trade association said the findings demonstrate the “devastation” wreaked by strict tier restrictions in place across huge swathes of the country.