Rishi Sunak taken to task as Richmond businesses close in his 'own backyard'

Yesterday the Prime Minister was told during a radio call-in show that four small companies in Richmond have shut in the past week.

She said that it was because of “increased taxes, soaring cost, impact of Brexit, difficulty finding staff, all combined with the fact that it was your Government that crashed the economy and left people without any spare disposable income to spend”.

“What are you going to do about the fact that your Tory policies are causing small businesses to shut up shop?” she asked.

Mr Sunak denied that Brexit was the reason that businesses were struggling, and cited energy bills and inflation as the main problem for small firms.

He said it was “obviously sad” the four small businesses in Richmond were closing, some of which he said he knew “personally”.

He continued: “Every business is going to have different circumstances and what happens in the economy (is that) businesses are always opening as well and starting up. And I’ve seen lots of that when I’ve been out and about recently, which is great to see.”

This was the latest member of the public to take the Prime Minister to task over the impact of his Government’s policies after he was heckled during a beer festival despite claiming that publicans had told him that business was booming.

Mr Sunak was jeered during his visit to the Great British Beer Festival on Tuesday by one man following the announcement of the Government’s shake-up of alcohol duty.

Richmond has seen the closure of York House Antiques, Cross View Tea Rooms, RavensworthNurseries, and the Fleece hotel and restaurant since last week.

Chris Miles, owner of the Fleece, said that the Government’s tax policies had become an “incredible burden” on the business.

"Whilst I do not want to appear bitter (although I am a little, to be honest), it is imperative that our Government take action to provide much-needed support to businesses like The Fleece,” he said.

York House’s owner, Christine Swift, said the closure was due to “the massive increase in energy and increased costs in just about everything else we are unable to keep this going”.

“The culmination of lockdown, rising bills, and the ongoing cost of living crisis means sadly we have reached the end of the line and we will be closing our doors for the last time today,” added Ravensworth Nurseries, a plant nursery in the area.

The owners of Cross View Tea Rooms said: “The ongoing cost of living crisis, we have come to the devastating conclusion that no amount of hard work is going to balance the books.”

Daniel Callaghan, who is standing for the Liberal Democrats in Richmond and seeking to unseat Mr Sunak at the next election, told The Yorkshire Post: "Small businesses are the lifeblood of rural economies like Richmond, so these closures will have a devastating impact on our community, with many more on the brink.

“The reasons why they are shutting up shop can be directly linked to Tory policies. Rishi Sunak needs to stand up and take responsibility for the impact his decisions in government are having on small businesses in his own backyard."

Mr Sunak told LBC’s Nick Ferrari programme: “I know families are struggling with the cost of living and that’s why I set it out as my first priority to halve inflation, and we’re making progress.

“Is that as fast as I’d like? No. Is it as fast as anyone would like? No. But the numbers most recently that we had show that we’re heading in the right direction, inflation is coming down, and I think people can see light at the end of the tunnel.

“But, look, we’ve got to stick to the plan, it’s not easy to bring down inflation. It requires me to make difficult but responsible decisions on behalf of the country.

“They’re not easy, I get flak for them, but I’m going to do them because they’re the right thing for everybody in the long-term, and I’m determined to stick to the course and bring down inflation for everyone.”