On Saturday 24th October, it was reported that Chancellor had been banned from a pub in his constituency for life following his controversial vote against the extension of free school meals.
Rishi Sunak was banned from the Mill pub and its restaurant Il Mulino in North Yorkshire besides three other Tory MPs because they voted against a proposal to extend the scheme over the holidays amid a surge in the coronavirus infections. The hospitality industry especially in North of England has been devasted from the varying “tiers” of lockdown. It has now emerged that Alex Cook in his “personal protest” wants to ban Rishi Sunak permanently from visiting his pub
While speaking to Sky News, Alex Cook said, "I thought it was the only way I could get people to listen and see how poor the decision is to allow children to go hungry in 2020. Anyone with a decent moral compass would realise that for a government that has spent £12bn on a Test and Trace system that doesn't work, to not fund food for hungry children is ridiculous and can't be allowed to happen.
“If I have upset people by this I genuinely apologise and I do appreciate all that the government has done for me and other businesses during this pandemic, but I had to do this," he said.
He also explained how he and his staff received lots of "harassing and awful" calls from supporters of Rishi Sunak since his decision was first reported. Besides harassing phone calls, he had also received many supporting ones and that he was warmed by how many restaurants in the community had stepped in to provide free food to children.
