Sunak Spent £2M Testing 'Eat Out' Messaging, Skipping Health Risks
• Rishi Sunak spent over £2 million on taxpayer-funded focus groups and polls to craft messaging around the “eat out to help out” scheme, while keeping top advisers unaware
• Multiple focus groups were carried out to make the dining scheme more "saleable" to the public and test reactions
• Sunak's team did not consult the public on potential health risks until after announcing the scheme
• The policy is estimated to have driven up Covid cases by 8-17%, despite short-lived economic benefits
• Labour has accused Sunak of using research to "polish his own image" rather than consider medical advice on the scheme