Comment: Return to ‘normality’ is still so elusive

It was sobering to follow social media conversations this week in which travel agency bosses highlighted the intense pressure they remain under due to the current uncertainty gripping the country.

Sutton Travel boss Andy Tomlinson summed up the mood when he said this year has been as stressful as those during the pandemic, asking: “Is a bit of good fortune too much to ask?”

While there are factors outside anyone’s control, business owners and individuals alike will be united in frustration that many of the current pressures have been increased or created by a government mired in a crisis of its own making.

The speed at which this crisis has developed and is moving is extraordinary, with every day bringing a new and inevitably eyebrow-raising twist.

And the current mess in Westminster has served only to exacerbate what was already an intensely challenging economic situation.

Despite the relentless headwinds, businesses are still reporting a surprisingly positive sales picture, with downturns largely proving to be blips rather than a consistent trend.

But there can be no doubt the industry will be searching for some positive momentum amidst the gloom in the run-up to peaks.

The sector is powerless to influence events in Westminster, so it can only hope the political uncertainty will be resolved as speedily as it has been created.

It will then be hoping the government’s October 31 fiscal announcement helps ease the current unrest in the financial markets without proving too painful for households who are assessing their spending choices in increasingly minute detail.