Hows Trump’s war in Iran is hitting hospitality Opinion The hospitality sector has already been hammered by taxes, regulation and minimum wage hikes. Now Trump’s war in Iran is hitting everyone’s discretionary spending, says Sacha Lord I’ve written so much about how Hospitality, not just in London, but across the whole of the UK is suffering right now. I’ve been scathing towards the Chancellor, [...]
Keir Starmer is scared to death of Andy Burnham Opinion Blocking Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election shows Starmer is a weak leader whose time in Downing Street will soon be over, says Sacha Lord We are witnessing the beginning of the end of Starmer’s short stint as PM. How is it possible, that someone with such a stomping majority, has [...]
This isn’t a plan for business, it’s a Budget to save Reeves’ job Opinion Sacha Lord, a former advisor to mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham, bitterly regrets calling Labour “the party of business and growth” On 13th of June last year, I was stood in Manchester’s impressive NOMA building. It was the Labour Party’s manifesto launch. The place was a buzz with energy, excitement and hope. The full shadow [...]
Are super clubs dead? October 21, 2025 With young people now opting for smaller, cheaper and more intimate venues, the days of the super club look numbered, writes Sacha Lord.
Glastonbury weekend: drugs testing can save lives this festival season June 26, 2025 No matter what organisers do, there will always be drugs at festivals like Glastonbury, so why not make sure they are as safe as possible? Asks Sacha Lord This weekend will see the doyenne of festivals, Glastonbury, will fire the starting gun on the summer party season. At every single major festival in the UK [...]
I’ve dealt with gangsters and petrol bombs, but Nimbys are a bigger threat to nightlife June 11, 2025 As founder of the world’s biggest nightclub and a festival for 80,000 punters, Manchester’s night time economy advisor Sacha Lord has dealt with guns and petrol bombs. But he says the biggest threat he’s encountered is Nimbys trying to shut down festivals like Brockwell Live What qualifies me to write about Nimbys being nightlife’s biggest [...]
Fighting cultural trends is no good – Manchester’s success shows hospitality must adapt to social changes February 3, 2024 It's no use burying our heads in the sand: a new generation and the scars of the pandemic have changed going-out habits forever. Greater Manchester is thriving because bars and clubs have responded to this, writes Sacha Lord
From ballet and opera to festivals and clubs, our definition of culture has changed October 28, 2022 Pre-Covid, the night time economy contributed £66bn per year to the UK, making it the UK’s fifth largest industry, accounting for 1.3 million jobs and 8 percent of the UK’s total workforce. Just three years later, we’ve nearly been wiped out and there is little chance that we will recover anytime soon. Part of this [...]
Kwarteng must pull businesses out of limbo before MPs head off to party conferences September 16, 2022 I can probably count on one hand just how often MPs have been in parliament in these past three months. It makes a mockery of our parliamentary system in such a time of need.
All of our cities are at risk this Christmas as they wrestle with Covid uncertainty again December 10, 2021 Boris Johnson has now confirmed our fears: Plan B will be brought in, and with it, more mask rules, Covid passports and work from home advice. It will undoubtedly have a monumental impact on businesses that rely on high footfall in city centres. December was supposed to be the month that saw many nightclubs, bars [...]
