John Holland-Kaye, chief executive of Heathrow airport, said aviation companies are being forced to “take decisions about cutting tens of thousands of jobs in a vacuum ” because they do not know what ministers’ plans are.
A detailed plan for restarting the Irish economy has emerged, containing five phases and running into August which set out concrete dates for different parts of the economy such as shops and hotels to start doing business.
British companies warmed to the detail this contained, but warned against its industry by industry approach. They are instead hoping for a system where all businesses can restart if they are able to work safely.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “We are hoping it will be standards-led, not sectoral, and businesses that can meet those standards will be allowed to reopen. We would hate to see an Irish approach that says if you’re a hotel you can open here and if you’re a pub it’s here. There are certain premises that will be able to move faster.”
Alasdair Murdoch, chief executive of Burger King UK, added: “What we’re looking for is a system that is not too complicated – the Irish approach is slightly too complicated. It is obvious that restaurants and pubs are going to be the last to reopen, so show us the phases towards that.”
Builders are also demanding clarity.
Mark Reynolds, chief executive of construction group Mace, said: “A huge amount of planning is under way to ensure a smooth return to work to protect as many jobs as possible but it will be ineffective unless Government is open about when and how restrictions will be lifted.
“Without that clarity we risk doing further damage to the economy.”