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More than 200,000 back minister for hospitality
A petition to create a minister for hospitality in the UK government has surpassed 200,000 signatures and parliament will debate the matter today (11 January).
The petition, which can be followed on social media using the hashtag #seatatthetable, was launched in October 2020 and had gained the support of 204,951 signatures at the time of writing. The petition will be debated at 4.30pm GMT.
Petitions need 100,000 signatures to qualify for a parliamentary debate.
It calls for a minister for hospitality for the ‘current and successive governments’, who would be responsible for liaising with industry representatives.
The petition highlights that the UK hospitality industry provides around three million jobs in the UK, which generates around £130 billion (US$175bn) in activity and £38bn (US$51bn) in tax. However, unlike the arts or sports, there is no dedicated hospitality minister at present.
It states: “As the UK seeks to encourage investment and tourism back to the UK in coming years, the vision that UK hospitality industry portrays of the UK is excellence, innovation, inspiration.
“We need a minister who can listen to concerns on taxation and legislation and bring forward suggestions to the chancellor and policy makers on our behalf.”