Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester Sacha Lord launched a legal challenge against the government last year
Sacha Lord has revealed that the government dropped the ‘substantial meal’ rule for pubs and restaurants from their recent lockdown exit roadmap as a result of his court case.
Under the COVID tier system in 2020, ministers introduced a rule for ‘high risk’ regions that pub customers must order food with their drinks – creating confusion as to what constituted a ‘substantial meal’.
When quizzed on the matter, Michael Gove flip-flopped on whether scotch eggs fell into the ‘starter’ or ‘main’ category, whereas Robert Jenrick claimed a Cornish pasty would qualify if it was ordered alongside chips or a salad.
However, the latest plan to reopen the economy states that hospitality venues can resume trading from April 12 without any item-ordering regulations.
In his address to parliament on February 22, Boris Johnson declared that the “scotch egg debate will be over” and there would be no further confusion as to which dishes justified the accompaniment of an alcoholic drink.
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On Monday (March 1), the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester revealed the decision not to reimpose the rule came as a direct result of his court case against the government.
Lord called the result a “landmark victory for hospitality”.
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Today I can announce the Government dropped the substantial meal requirement in their recent roadmap as a result of our court case.
Judges in our case ruled the measure was arguably discriminatory towards certain sections of society.
Lord launched a legal challenge against the government last year, claiming that the sector has been treated unfairly throughout the course of the pandemic.
Previous restrictions have led to the closure of ‘wet’ pubs that could not serve food alongside drinks, with the 10pm curfew also causing issues for late-night venues.
Following examination of the case put forward by Lord and his legal team, judges have ruled “the substantial measure was arguably discriminatory towards certain sections of society.”
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All court costs recovered are set to be distributed evenly between Hospitality Action and the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.
Following the ruling, Lord said that work is ongoing to determine why indoor hospitality is reopening at a later date than shops in 2021.
“We will continue to work on behalf of the night time economy and hospitality sectors to ensure measures imposed are fair to both operators and the public,” he stated.
“Finally, I can confirm my legal team and I are now in discussions regarding the lack of evidence to justify the delay of the reopening of hospitality compared with non-essential retail.”
The substantial meal rule gained notoriety amid debate over whether a scotch egg was a starter or main / Image: Kake / Flickr
The Warehouse Project and Parklife founder has been one of the leading voices for hospitality during the pandemic, appearing on multiple media outlets to campaign for fairer rulings for the sector.
Lord added: “If something’s clearly wrong, we shouldn’t just accept rules made by the government.
“They should be challenged.”
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NHS says it’s battling with ‘worst case scenario’ as flu cases surge nationwide
Emily Sergeant
Flu hospitalisations have surged by more than half in just one week, plunging the NHS into the ‘worst case scenario’.
Shocking new figures have revealed that an nn average of 2,660 patients per day were in a hospital bed with flu last week, which is the highest-ever for this time of year and up 55% up on last week – which, when put into perspective, means there are enough flu patients each day to fill more than three whole hospital trusts.
NHS bosses have warned that the total has already increased sharply since the week covered by the data, and at this time, there is thought to be no ‘peak’ in sight.
These new figures come as demand for A&Es and ambulance services are already soaring.
The number of patients in hospital with flu has risen by over 50% in the last week, reaching a record number for this time of year – and numbers continue to grow.
New monthly figures showed that A&E attendances were a record for November at 2.35 million and more than 30,000 higher than November 2024, while there were 48,814 more ambulance incidents compared to last year.
The record-breaking demand also comes just ahead of thousands of resident doctors going on strike this week from 17-22 December – with ‘major disruption’ expected for patients ahead of Christmas.
The public are advised to attend any planned appointments scheduled during the strikes, unless they have been contacted to reschedule.
Primary and urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available for those who need them, during the industrial action.
NHS says it’s battling with the ‘worst case scenario’ as flu cases surge nationwide / Credit: Pxhere
The public should use 111 online as their first port of call for urgent but not life-threatening issues so that they can be directed to the best place for their needs, while patients who need emergency medical care should continue to use 999 or come forward to A&E as normal.
“With record demand for A&E and ambulances and an impending resident doctors strike, this unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year – with staff being pushed to the limit to keep providing the best possible care for patients,” commented Professor Meghana Pandit, who is the NHS National Medical Director.
“Even worse, it continues to rise and the peak is not in sight yet, so the NHS faces an extremely challenging few weeks ahead.
“We have prepared earlier for winter than ever before, and stress-tested services to ensure people have a range of ways to get the help they need and avoid needing to go to A&E.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the flu surge as a ‘tidal wave’.
“We are working with the NHS to make sure it is able to cope with this as best as possible,” he concluded.
Featured Image – Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
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Erling Haaland dresses up as Santa and hands out Christmas presents in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has doubled as Father Christmas in his latest YouTube stunt, dressing up as Santa and handing out presents to local kids in the new episode.
We’re starting to think he might be one of the most likeable footballers on the planet right now.
The Norwegian footballer recently surpassed Alan Shearer’s ‘fastest to 100 goals record’ in the Premier League and has been well and truly back to his best as Man City continue to rediscover their form, but the big blonde number nine has been delighting both on and off the pitch of late.
For starters, even before any of the season’s givings began, we got the giggle just from our first glimpse of the thumbnail.
Yes, Haaland definitely has a habit of leaning into the humorous side of his celebrity status, having already dressed up as the Joker for Halloween in one of the first episodes published on his still relatively new YouTube channel.
However, the 25-year-old got up to some more heartwarming activities this time around, swapping the face paint, green wig and stripey suit for a red coat, hat, some little glasses and a big white beard.
With the video itself showing him getting into character and loading his car with a sack full of presents, he then goes on to visit multiple houses to dish out the surprise gifts.
While the title and description state that he drove around the streets of 0161, it’s hard to tell where exactly he went, but we’d guess it was more around Alderley Edge and/or the Cheshire side of the Greater Manchester borders.
One particular interaction between the disguised Blue and a young Red certainly produced a harmless little bit of comedy…
Either way, on the whole, this particular instalment was more wholesome than it was funny, and it’s always nice to see sports personalities and famous people spreading kindness.
Obviously, not everyone can afford to be as generous as a Premier League and world-famous international athlete, but it’s nevertheless a nice touch.
The Manc -
1st March 2021 
