Tim Martin has called for more EU migration to help tackle the shortage of bar staff working in the UK.
The Wetherspoons boss, who campaigned for Brexit and even printed pro-leave material on 1.9 million beer mats, urged prime minister Boris Johnson to introduce a “reasonably liberal immigration system” controlled by Britain rather than the European Union.
He recommended the government adopt a visa scheme for workers from the bloc to help the country’s pubs and restaurants hire more staff as they recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
It comes as roughly one in ten hospitality workers are thought to have left the sector over the past 12 months, leading to an estimated shortfall of about 188,000 workers, according to recruitment website Caterer.com.
It’s fair to say there hasn’t been much sympathy for the beer boss, who was one of the most vocal supporters of ending freedom of movement, as these responses will illustrate…
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Related: Vote Leave video of Tim Martin dismissing job fears resurfaces
