250,000 hospitality jobs at risk without more energy bills support, industry chief warns

Warning thousands of businesses will ‘have no option but to hand back the keys’

Up to a quarter of a million jobs would be lost in a “bloodbath” on the high street if the government doesn’t extend its support on energy bills, an industry chief has warned.

The fragile industry is already struggling with its own version of “long covid” and many businesses will not survive another economic shock, Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UK Hospitality, said.

The organisation estimates that if support is not extended, more than 10,000 hospitality businesses could be forced to shut their doors in the coming year – the same number that closed due to Covid.