Pubs and shops warned not to raise prices as lockdown eases

Businesses have been warned by ministers not to hike their prices to make up for customers lost through social distancing as they have already been given billions of pounds by the taxpayer. Pubs and restaurants will only be able to operate at 70 per cent of normal capacity when they open on July 4, and a quarter of restaurants intend to put their prices up to make up for lost revenue under the new Covid-secure rules, according to a poll. There have also been warnings that pubs will have to charg