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A Michelin-recommended Chester restaurant has shut its doors with its founder pointing the finger squarely at Labour's recent budgets, saying the government had punished the wrong businesses.

Christopher Laidler took to Instagram to announce the immediate closure of Covino, the French-influenced small plates venue he founded in 2016, in a post that laid the blame firmly at the government's door.

"We'd have celebrated our 10th anniversary this December, but it simply wasn't to be," he wrote. "For the avoidance of doubt, Covino's 'cause of death' can be attributed to the last two Labour budgets. In trying to do the right thing they've gone after completely the wrong people, something I'll never forget or forgive them for."

Laidler paid tribute to those who had supported the restaurant over the decade, adding: "I've made some exceptional relationships over the last decade with guests, staff and suppliers who I now consider great friends.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey. Your custom really did go towards things like my children's football boots, something big business can't tell you, so keep supporting your local independents!"

He signed off with a personal message: "I'm going to spend some time licking my wounds, filing for bankruptcy, and most importantly, catching up on lost time with my family - who have come second to the restaurants far too often over the last 10 years.

"I'll see you all again soon once I've figured out what's next. Best of luck to everyone who's battling their way through these testing times."

It follows the closure earlier this month of Climat, Laidler's Manchester restaurant, which he shuttered after three and a half years, citing a "perfect storm" of pressures facing the sector.

Industry data from NIQ's Hospitality Market Monitor puts the scale of the crisis in stark terms - the UK lost the equivalent of 3.4 licensed hospitality venues per day in the opening quarter of 2026, a period that saw the overall sector shrink by 0.3 per cent.