'Shop Out To Help Out' vouchers being 'looked at' by Rishi Sunak

1 March 2021, 08:51 | Updated: 1 March 2021, 10:44

By Polly Foreman

There have been calls for the government to give out free shopping vouchers to help kickstart the economy when lockdown eases.

Rishi Sunak hasn't ruled out the possibility that Brits could be handed vouchers to be used in high street shops when lockdown is eased.

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The Chancellor was discussing the return of last August's Eat Out To Help Out in a recent interview, when he was asked whether a similar scheme could be introduced for shopping.

Responding to the query, Mr Sunak said: "We get lots of suggestions in the Treasury and I'll have a look at that as well.

"But I think what we saw last time is that consumption does recover quite strongly when we reopen things.

"We didn't know what would happen last time but that's actually what did happen which is good and could give us some optimism for the future."

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The Chancellor is set to announce his budget on Wednesday, and reports have suggested that the Treasury are looking at a number of options to get people spending again when lockdown is eased.

According to the Daily Mail, both high street vouchers and lower alcohol duty for restaurants and pubs are being considered.

Eat Out To Help Out, which was introduced last year to encourage people to eat in restaurants, could also make a comeback.

The initiative offered diners 50 per cent discounts off food and soft drinks (up to £10) between Monday and Wednesday.

It saw more than 100 million meals claimed in the month of August 2020.

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