The latest figures from the Government reveal that Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme was availed of over 10.5m times in its first week of operation. Treasury estimates put the average claim at close to £5, making the cost of the policy around £50m so far, with the Government having set aside £500m to fund the policy. Some 83,068 restaurants have signed up to the scheme. Government figures also show that 80% of hospitality firms stopped trading in April and that 1.4m workers were furloughed - the highest proportions of any sector.
Read more: The Guardian