Starmer's nanny state ‘risks killing Britain's restaurants'
Henry Birts, the chief executive of Wasabi, said the growing burden of red tape is stifling Britain's hospitality sector and making it harder for companies to survive amid soaring taxes.
He said: 'We're at risk of sort of really killing the industry if we continue to regulate and regulate and put the costs up. All of this together is having a collective effect that is just not helpful.'
Criticism of government regulation comes after Sir Keir Starmer unveiled plans to compel large restaurants and fast food chains to cut diners' calories in an attempt to drive down obesity rates.
Businesses have warned that such a move could lumber them with a mountain of bureaucracy and extra costs at a time when margins are already under strain.
Mr Birts said: 'I'm a big believer that our industry needs to continue to be responsible around health.
'But I think if the Government continues to tax and regulate their way through all of this, there's a line where it becomes very unhelpful, and we end up shooting ourselves in the foot.'
The exact details of what will be asked of restaurants are yet to be revealed. But measures are expected to be similar to those recently announced plans for supermarkets, which will require them to reduce the calories in shoppers' baskets.
The calorie crackdown has been touted as a critical step in the battle against obesity.
Obesity rates have doubled in Britain since the 1990s, prompting Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, to warn that the NHS could become 'unsustainable' if the 'rising tide of cost and demand' is not stopped.
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