Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to provide long-term support to the food and drink wholesale sector.

The Government`s priority is to support the economy through the crisis; keep as many people as possible in their existing jobs, support viable businesses and protect the incomes of the most vulnerable. That is why the Government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including almost £300 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of UK GDP.

Food and drink wholesale distributors continue to have access to the Government’s unprecedented package of support for business, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the four government-backed loan schemes for firms of all sizes. The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.

On 11 May the Government published its COVID-19 recovery strategy which sets out our plan for moving to the next phase of our response. Going forward, as the economy opens up, our energies will focus on supporting the recovery. The Government will continue to closely monitor the impacts of the support packages and continue to engage with businesses and representative groups in the wholesale sector. Any announcements on the next stage of our economic response will be made at the appropriate time.