UK coronavirus lockdown: Michael Gove warns of tougher punishments
Michael Gove has criticised Mike Ashley for failing to close Sports Direct stores on the first day of the UK coronavirus lockdown, and warned of tougher punishments for flouting the public order to stay at home.
The minister blasted Ashley’s argument that keeping Sports Direct stores open was crucial to help UK households “maintain a healthy lifestyle” after gyms closed last Friday.
Instead Gove told Good Morning Britain (GMB) viewers “there is no reason why Sports Direct should remain open”. He called on Ashley to “rescind what he said”.
Sports Direct finance boss Chris Wootton said today that Sports Direct and Evans Cycles were essential in the fight against coronavirus. Therefore staff counted among the government’s so-called key workers, who include nurses and doctors.
Wootton said:
There is no one else that has the range of product and range of stories to make this reasonably accessible for the whole population.
Against the backdrop of the closure of gyms the demand for these types of products has increased exponentially as the population looks to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
He later committed to not opening Sports Direct or Evans Cycles stores without the government’s permission.
He said:
To clarify my earlier message, we will not open our Sports Direct or Evans Stores to the public, even though government policy excludes “bicycle shops” from closure until we are given the go ahead by the Government. Please note we are contacting them at all levels including attempting to get confirmation from the Prime Minister.Yesterday Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered all non-essential shops – every store save supermarkets and pharmacies – to close as the UK undergoes a three-week lockdown.
That came as the UK coronavirus outbreak saw deaths jump to 336 while infections leapt to 6,726.
Gove: Tougher punishments if you flout UK coronavirus lockdown
People are only allowed to leave the house once a day for one form of exercise, while they may only travel to work if they cannot do their job from home.
Police have the power to issue fines to people who flout the public order.
And Gove today warned the government could introduce worse punishments if the public does not obey its guidelines.
“The police have a range of enforcement tools, and of course fixed-penalty notices and fines are just one of them,” he told GMB. “If people do persist in behaving in an antisocial way, there are stronger measures that we have.
“The legislation will be in place in order to ensure that we have appropriate penalties and appropriate punishment for those people who do not adhere to the clear advice that the government has given and that the police are ready to enforce.”
JD Sports warns of coronavirus profit blow
In sharp contrast to Sports Direct, JD Sports today said “essentially all of our stores” in the UK, US and Europe are now closed.
The retailer, whose merger with Footasylum was blocked on competition grounds recently, warned online sales would offer little to offset high street store losses.
“We are pursuing a number of measures to preserve capital across all aspects of our business and thereby limit the level of cash burn,” it added.
JD Sports said the UK coronavirus outbreak would produce an unpredictable hit to its full year profit, and said it would not be able to offer any financial guidance for the year to January 2021.
“Along with everyone else, the Ggroup is experiencing major disruption to our business operations as we seek to protect our colleagues and customers from the effects of Covid-19,” chairman Peter Cowgill said.
“Their safety remains our number one priority and we continue to take all appropriate action in line with government advice in our various territories.
“JD continues to offer a market leading, multichannel proposition in Sports Fashion Retail and we are confident that we will emerge from the current challenges in a strong position to resume our previous positive momentum.”
Luxury handbag retailer Mulberry today warned it will swing to a loss in the second half of the year due to the UK coronavirus outbreak.