Eat out to help out sees diners claim 100m cut-price meals in August

Last-minute rush means Treasury scheme will cost more than the £500m set aside to help hospitality industry in pandemic

At least 100m subsidised meals were eaten by diners in the UK in August following a last-minute rush by the public to take advantage of the government’s month-long “eat out to help out” scheme, the Treasury stated.

The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, praised the public for helping to save jobs in the vulnerable hospitality industry as it emerged that the meal discount scheme had exceeded expectations and would cost more than the £500m he set aside in the July mini budget.

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