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Jeremy Hunt labelled “an idiot” for saying that all London businesses are “quids in” from the Olympics

August 3, 2012 1:00 pm

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Oh Jeremy Hunt. This Olympics could have been a chance to redeem yourself and save your job ahead of the imminent reshuffle, but your reverse midas touch continues. First there was the “bell-whanging” incident, and now you’ve been called “an idiot” for suggesting that London businesses are doing well out of the Olympics.

Ufi Ibrahim of the British Hospitality Association told the Daily Mail: 

“Our postcode research shows an average decline in takings of 40 per cent in central London restaurants compared with a year ago. One is down by 61 per cent.”

Yet when Hunt was asked about the fall in trade, he said:

“Anyone who has a business anywhere in London is frankly quids in.”

Hunt’s unwillingness to engage with business concerns hasn’t been taken that well by London’s restraunters. Richard Bradford, a spokesperson for the Restaurant Association was…concise, calling Hunt:

“an idiot”

The Olympics is a without doubt a phenomenal event, and one that has lifted the spirits of the British people. But when it comes to the economy, the Olympics don’t seem to be bringingg the boost that many thought it would – despite what Jeremy Hunt might argue.

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  • Johnmurrell365

    No need to label the bullshitter as his image and honesty have already been called into question over his pre-meditated bias over dodgy SKY deals…

  • Bill Lockhart

    I can confirm anecdotally that non-Olympic areas of London are far quieter than is usual for August.  In Greenwich LOCOG have put up crowd control barriers which keep the arriving spectators away from the shops, restaurants and market. Non-Olympic tourism always suffers in host cities.  Hunt is indeed an idiot.

  • http://twitter.com/RichardBrennan Richard

    In fairness both Labour and the Tories are idiots for supporting the bid for the Olympics, which has cost taxpayers over £9.3 billion and caused a lot of disruption to people in London and elsewhere. Tessa Jowell in particular has shown how bad her judgement is. Even if there had not been a recession, bidding for the Olympics would still have been a huge mistake.  How can we trust either party now?

    • http://twitter.com/mistyblulabour dave stone

      There’s a rationale behind politicians’ enthusiasm for the Olympics – after all, can you imagine children not voting for xmas? All those photo opportunities, all that grandstanding and glad-handing… 

      There is a related alternative though: supporting health, fitness and sport. But that’s an entirely different matter, without many opportunities for personal gain or media glamour. So, instead, we’ll just have to make do with our Adviser on Olympic Legacy putting in a word for McDonalds and Coca-Cola* – they sustain the promise of a inglorious future!

      *http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/mcdonalds-theyre-great-for-youth-sport-says-tony-blair-7979706.html

  • John Ruddy

    I think part of the problem is that the organisers – and the Government in the form of Hunt – have encouraged people to stay away.

    “Its going to be gridlock on the roads”

    “Commuters should work from home”

    etc

    etc

    • treborc

      The laugh is they shouted about  strikes, and the signals went out again, we spent so much time arguing about not striking nobody but 50p in the meter.

  • DanFilson

    So patently untrue. One wonders what impelled him to utter it.

    • treborc

       mental health issues.

  • JoeDM

    It must be a slow news day at LL.

  • David Brede

    I guess one consequence is that people and businesses having tried working from home will discover that it works and they will carry on after the Olympics!

  • Mseuca

    The cabinet is being run like Fawlty Towers and ministers are all vying for the role of. Basil

    • treborc

       And Miliband is  who the waiter.

  • Uglyfatbloke

    So the Olympics have been a disaster for everyone  - part from athletes, their coaches, their managers and of course their agents. What a surprise. Does this mean the tories will feel obliged to find yet another way of subsidising London at the expense of the rest of the country? 

    • treborc

      I thought it was labour that brought the games here and decided the money to be spent

  • Anona

    Jeremy Hunt is an idiot, but so is Ken Livingstone for bringing the Olympics to London. He even had the cheek to brag about bringing the Olympics to London, even though his intention was regeneration of East London.

    Ken’s reasoning was somehow this 16 day event would transform East London. Ken has cost Londoners £9billion. Over 5,000 jobs were forced to re-locate. Many of those that did not moved, failed to recover.

    The shops in the Westfield Stratford shopping centre, say their business is down, despite hundreds of thousands of visitors, who pass through to the Olympics park. The shopping centre, is full luxury brands. When it opened their prices were more expensive the then West End. Now all the shops have ’70% off sale’. You dont have a sale if business is booming.

    (The only ones in Westfield who are busy are the food areas).

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