GORDON Ramsay has praised the UK Government for their support for the hospitality sector over the pandemic.
The celebrity chef had an online meeting with Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday where he said the support given had been ‘the best in the world’.
Currently most restaurants are closed due to the coronavirus crisis, with some able to open for takeaway deliveries.
However Mr Ramsay said the furlough scheme, VAT cuts and the business rates holiday have been a “massive boost” and “pivotal” to supporting restaurants, bars and pubs across the UK.
READ MORE: £375m for Scottish businesses who can't claim grants in Rishi Sunak package
He said: “I think as a government, we've been supported better than any other country I know. And secondly, you've been precise, what you've said you've stood by and delivered.
“I think we've been given one of the most incredible support systems from the furlough scheme, which was instrumental in maintaining some positivity. I think you delivered beyond.
“But the downside for me is that we have lost some really good restaurants that were good, but sadly, there are going to be casualties.”
The discussion was part of a new monthly ‘In Conversation’ event the Chancellor will be holding with industry leaders to talk about the challenges of the pandemic and how the UK can recover.
SIMON WALKER HM TREASURY
Mr Sunak said he was hopeful that the hospitality sector would recover when lockdown was over, and said: “Economically it's incredibly important, but also it's that connection with people in their communities. It just gives joy to people's lives. It brings life to villages, towns across the country, and seeing that taken from us is incredibly sad and we have to recapture that again.”
The Hell’s Kitchen star, who will open his own Academy later this year, also discussed the importance of supporting young people through the pandemic and praised the government’s expansion of apprenticeships.
READ MORE: Signs of hope for stricken hospitality trade
He said: “My big primary concern for the first three months of this lockdown last year was focusing on the under 30s, mentally connecting, spending more time talking to them.”
The pair also discussed their love of fitness and football – with the Chancellor saying how much he and his family missed weekend park runs.
He also told Mr Ramsay how the chef’s TikTok videos – which have reached millions of people – have kept him and his wife amused over lockdown.
When asked for his top cooking tips, Ramsay told the Chancellor that, like the Budget, preparation was key.
He said: “It's all in the prep right… The prep is 90 per cent of the battle.”
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