Cotton blasts Labour over ‘slow reaction’

THE GOVERNMENT has admitted lessons need to be learnt over the handling of the foot-and-mouth crisis following the starkest criticism yet for the tourism industry.

The response follows accusations by British Hospitality Association chief executive Bob Cotton that the Government reacted too slowly in helping the trade.

In a letter to the secretary of state for culture, media and sport Tessa Jowell, Cotton hit out at the Government’s response to the crisis as “solely dictated by the farming interests”, and demanded a public inquiry into the outbreak and its impact.

A Government spokeswoman said: “There are obvious lessons to be learnt by Government and the industry when it comes to foot and mouth. One of the clear things to come out of this crisis is that tourism is an immensely important part of the economy.”