The Daily Express front page combines two of the paper’s favourite topics: freak weather conditions and Brexit, boasting that “Britain’s record-breaking summer heatwave is providing a bumper Brexit home-spending bonanza.”
The report claims this summer’s ongoing heatwave has led to a huge rise in spending at home, with Brits splashing out more than ever on “staycations” and grocery shopping, contributing £31bn to the economy.
“The timing could not possibly be better: after months of doom-mongering from the Remainers, we need a dose of reality, namely that we are facing a glorious future as well as the best summer we’ve had in decades,” says the editorial accompanying the story.
This “dose of reality” comes in the form of the Express alleging that “It has long been clear that they [the EU] stand to suffer far more than we do if they maintain their current unyielding stance.”
The front page report further claims that “sales of groceries and alcohol have also spiked in the heat, adding further billions to the nation’s coffers.”
“In particular Britain has seen the sale of al fresco eating products soar – with ice cream, burgers and beer in record demand.
“Figures revealed that total grocery volume sales in the UK were up by 2.2 per cent during the latest four week period – the best volume growths outside of Christmas and Easter since July 2013, when a heatwave drove a 3.1 per cent spike in volumes.”
The Express speculates that this is because we are spending money on enjoying barbeques outside in the sunshine, and not, say, because we are stockpiling canned goods following a warning from Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab that we would have to take steps to ensure we have “adequate food supplies” after leaving the EU.
The article further reported that “Shoppers also preferred to dine in rather than eat out at restaurants during the hot spell, with fresh pizza (up 14 per cent), sushi (up 14 per cent) and prepared fruit salads (up ten per cent) all also experiencing generous growths in sales.” Which, you have to hand it to them, is a pretty cheery way of saying that fewer of us are going out to restaurants.
The other major reason why “the nation’s coffers” are swelling at the moment is due to families deciding to stay in the UK over the summer months.
This year more Brits than ever have chosen to have a holiday in the UK, with popular destinations including Cornwall, Devon and Bournemouth, rather than flocking abroad. Which, to be fair, is exactly what a “glorious Brexit” will probably look like.
The article says that “in even more good news” if we crash out of the EU without a trade deal we “won’t have to pay £39bn ‘divorce’ bill” and “will soar ahead of other European economies.”
“As the hot weather continues into August, tourism chiefs said the traditional trip to the seaside has returned as a firm favourite, with 55 per cent of people in the UK flocking to Britain’s beaches at least once this year.
“The UK’s rural landscape is also seen as a jewel of our national heritage and is the second most popular destination for a summer holiday for many Britons. This year a third of adults are taking a rural break with the top destinations the Lake District, Scottish Highlands and the Cotswolds.”
The article suggestos over 57 per cent of people in the UK chose a “staycation” over a holiday abroad. Shakila Ahmed, communications director for Travelodge, which conducted the research, said that this was due to people exploring “what makes Britain so great.” That’s a good question.
And to top it all off, the Express tells us that Britain is getting hotter and drier every year, which is… not at all worrying?
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