By Tony O’Riley-
Pub chain owner William Lees-Jones has radically banned Nicola Sturgeon and some Sage members from his venues due to her government’s Covid restrictions – despite the fact his company has no pubs in Scotland.
William Lees-Jones, the boss of JW Lees which primarily runs pubs in the north of England has banned a number of Sage members to the list of banned numbers, including Susan Michie, and journalist Robert Peston would not be allowed into the venues.
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The ban is in response to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, all bringing in tighter Covid regulations due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant leading to record case numbers.
The respective governments claim to have good reason to being in the restrictions, namely to prevent the transmissible omicron variant of Covid-19 from spreading to the extent of overwhelming the Nhs.
The decision by the leaders of the above nations has been controversial, with many strongly opposing the measures, but equally many in support of them.
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Pub owners have the power to ban people from their venues, but not for discriminatory purposes of any sort. This particular ban arguably falls under discrimination, though not of a racial or sexual nature, but targeting the individuals mentioned because of their stance on coronavirus restrictions.
The power of pubs to ban people for personal discriminatory reasons that do not fall under disruptive conduct or misconduct generally, has never really been tested legally, but is unlawful.
Banned: Nicola Sturgeon is not allowed in William Lee Jones Pubs Image:national Scot.org.uk
Business representatives welcomed the news but argued more needs to be done to support them as Covid has led to a sharp drop in trade despite the lack of official measures.
Banned: Robert Preston Image:Itv.com
Imposed restrictions during these times have been very controversial, but banning professionals from premises open to the public because of their political stance .
Banned: Professor Susan Mitchie Image:uel.ac.uk
Public health expert Professor Andrew Watterson of Stirling University warned on Monday morning that England is now “out of step” with the rest of the UK, with “muddled” messaging there, causing confusion.
Pub owner Lees-Jones accused Scotland and Wales of having “locked down unnecessarily quickly” – despite the restrictions barely resembling a lockdown. He did not mention the measures in Northern Ireland, where nightclubs are shut, indoor standing events are banned, and just six people are allowed to be sat together in hospitality settings.
“If you look at the situation in London, it would appear to be more advanced than either Scotland or Wales – and as a business, we’re particularly exposed to Wales. The reshuffling of bookings and New Year, that’s going to send some businesses over the edge,” the businessman said.
He went on: “From a public service perspective, if you don’t have people congregating in public houses, people will meet at home. That’s much more dangerous for public health.
“Similarly with Robert Peston [below]. Whenever he asks a question, it’s ‘why haven’t you shut the pubs?’ It’s because they’re safe.
The National:
“We have people who are public servants or journalists who are saying things that are putting people’s businesses at risk.
JW Lees has 150 pubs across the north-west of England and Wales.
Meanwhile in Scotland, the Christmas period has seen the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Scotland since the start of the pandemic.
On December 25, 8252 cases were recorded, with 11,030 positive tests recorded on December 26 and 10,562 on December 27.
The First Minister said she expects case numbers will rise further over the next few days and urged people to limit socializing in person “as much as possible”.
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