More than a hundred industry leaders warn prime minister of catastrophic job losses ahead in 'bleakest of winters'

More than a hundred business leaders have told the prime minster hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost during the "bleakest of winters" if more is not done to support the hospitality industry.

In the letter to Boris Johnson, led by trade associations the British Beer & Pub Association, UKHospitality and the British Institute of Innkeeping, the operators said the government's latest round of restrictions – including the 10pm curfew – "have made this fight to survive even harder".

It has called on the government to review the restrictions at least every three weeks and commit to removing them if they are not found to be impacting the spread of the virus.

The letter says the support package announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak last week does not go "nearly far enough". In closing, it asks the prime minister "to intervene as a matter of urgency" with a sector-specific support package to reflect prevent "the devastating damage that is drawing ever closer".

Signatories include co-founder of Bartlett Mitchell Wendy Bartlett, chief executive of Brasserie Bar Co Mike Derry; Oakman Inns founder Peter Borg-Neal and chair of Prezzo Karen Jones.

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