Firms urge PM to back returning to the office

A group of business leaders has urged ministers to "set the country clearly on the path to recovery" by encouraging people to return to the office.

Firms needed to know what the end of Covid restrictions would mean in practice, more than 50 leaders said in a letter to PM Boris Johnson.

The letter, organised by lobby group London First, said firms expected city centres to "buzz again" after 19 July.

Working from home should no longer be the default, they said.

"Our economic recovery will only succeed if the government commits to reviving our city centres," they added.

Those signing the letter included Heathrow and Gatwick airport chief executives John Holland-Kaye and Stewart Wingate, Capita chief executive Jon Lewis and BT boss Philip Jansen.

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In the letter, they said that for many months, 
employers and employees alike had been receiving 
messages that were complex and sometimes mixed, while official advice had not always been clear-cut.

"At this critical moment, we believe that it is essential that the government is unambiguous in its communications that when the stage four restrictions lift, public transport is safe, offices are safe, and working from home is no longer the default," they said.

"Employers can then move forward with plans for new ways of working, considering the needs of their staff, clients and customers."

The letter called for a clear plan of action for London, which it said would "reap significant benefits for the whole of the UK".

They said measures should include:

Government support for a promotional push to attract commuters and holidaymakers back to the capital
Funding to keep the public transport network operating at full strength
A reskilling programme to get Londoners into work
Despite their initiative, almost all of 50 of the UK's biggest employers questioned by the BBC in May said they did not plan to bring staff back to the office full-time.

Some companies, including supermarket chain Asda, have said they will continue to allow flexible working for office-based staff.

Others had announced that they wanted staff to return to the office, but have not yet implemented those plans.

Those firms include investment bank Goldman Sachs, which had initially told staff to be ready to return to the workplace in June, but then delayed the move.
"It all has to go."

One member of the cabinet couldn't have been clearer on their hopes for the removal of legal restrictions on our lives in England on 19 July.

Bear in mind that nothing is final, no conclusive decisions have been made.

That cabinet minister may not get their wish entirely.

PM upbeat about easing restrictions on 19 July
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But every time one of their colleagues has opened their mouth in the last few days, the chances of the rules being removed more or less entirely in less than three weeks has seemed to increase.

Expectation is building that the one-metre-plus rule that has made normal business for workplaces, pubs and public places so hard will go.

It seems likely the compulsory wearing of masks will be ditched too.

And the rules that have controlled the size even of private gatherings are expected to disappear.

You might wonder about the logic of how long they can last in any case. How can it be sustainable for us to watch the crowds at Wembley in our living rooms, but not be allowed to have more than five friends over to watch the match if they happen to live in different places?
It doesn't seem that government will be able to change the rules to ease the frustrations of thousands of parents whose kids are stuck at home again before the end of the term in England.

The prime minister has asked parents to be patient. But there is a hope that clubs or play schemes in the school holidays won't have to be subject to the same limits and, as ministers have indicated, the rules will look very different when it's time to go back to school.

The government is still likely, though, to give advice, or urge some caution.

Boris Johnson's instinct is to allow life after 19 July to get back to something as close to normality before the pandemic as possible.
But messages about the importance of hand washing, or ventilation, are likely to remain.

Isolation and testing are still expected to be important, even though the government is searching for a way of reducing the burden on those who have been double jabbed.

Travel for those who have had both vaccinations is likely to ease up, but don't expect booking a spot on the lounger or jumping on a plane to be straightforward this summer.

Above all, perhaps, Downing Street won't be in a position to say that restrictions have gone, never to return.