BORIS Johnson might be “confident” that a four-week delay to July 19 is all the time his government needs before most of the adult population are double-jagged and all Covid restrictions are lifted in England.

But by repeatedly refusing to give a cast iron guarantee that there wouldn’t be any further extensions to his business-crippling curbs after July 19, he has cruelly crushed the confidence and hopes of tens of thousands of struggling businesses, which on the back of his original promise to lift all restrictions on June 21, the laughably titled Freedom Day, have borrowed to the hilt and spent millions in getting themselves ready to reopen for what they hoped would be a business-saving, restriction-free, full-capacity summer season.

In particular, the UK’s beleaguered wedding sector, a vital £14.7 billion industry, major employer of over 400,000, and backbone of the hospitality, catering, and events sector.

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A few short weeks ago they, reassured by Johnson’s booming freedom bluster had, with no additional government financial assistance forthcoming, gleefully opened their diaries, took deposits for new bookings, rearranged previous cancellations, taken their staff off furlough, and ordered in everything required for a happy couple’s monumental big day.

A massive make or break commitment, undertaking and duty of care, which depending on the demands and budget of the wedding party might see the venue responsible for delivering not just the food and drinks menu but, in some cases, the actual wedding ceremony itself, as well as the booking of extra catering, marquees, drinks reception, dining tables, chairs, flowers, linen, carpets, table decorations, master of ceremony, bands, DJ, sound and light production, limos, guest rooms and fireworks.

According to the UK Weddings Taskforce, 220,000 weddings were cancelled or rescheduled last year because of Covid restrictions and 94% of celebrations did not go ahead. Brutal restrictions and physical distancing measures pushed many of the 60,000 businesses reliant on this sector close to the brink. Now, because Johnson has tied himself in knots over couples tying the knot by delaying Freedom Day, another 50,000 weddings are in peril, and any hopes the sector had of a profitable summer of love are gone.

Of course, it’s not just Johnson and his clueless cabal who have become increasing divorced from reality over “scarient variants”. In these dystopian times, our living-in-thrall-of-Covid Scottish Government have sadly become the masters of destroying business confidence. Our FM Nicola Sturgeon quickly followed Johnson and “delta” another hammer blow to any hopes we stupidly had of a quick return to pre-pandemic normality this summer.

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There would be no moving to level 0 on June 28 as hoped and no Freedom Day before July 19. Most of Scotland’s central belt would remain in Level 2, the rest Level 1 with only some of our islands set at the relatively free Level 0.

Devastating news for Scotland’s battered and bruised wedding industry and, of course, those couples who had planned for a restriction-free reception this summer.

As a very worried Duncan McConachiem of the SWIA (Scottish Wedding Industry Association) pointed out, “Having already lost £281 million of business in 2020, and now in what should have been a bumper year, with 42,000 weddings planned across the country, worth around £2.8bn, the effects of this decision will be massive. Seriously threatening the livelihoods of some 40,000 employees across 5000 businesses, 77% of which were not eligible for strategic framework or restart grants”.

Pauline McNeill MSP has asked the FM to set out clearly the barriers to the return of live music, singing and dancing at weddings and other hospitality sectors, and a roadmap to recovery. This, Ms Sturgeon promises, she and her advisors will do.

Well, we will wait and see if that ever happens, but until such times I’m reminded of a classic rock song my wife and I heard two weeks ago wafting over the big trees at a wedding reception in Dunkeld, had us grinning from ear to ear … Don’t Stop Believin', by Journey.

On this particular journey, we haven’t and we wont.

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