Ahead of a potential move into Tier 3 for London, I've been looking at some data (thanks @AltusGroupUK) that explains why there's more to concerns than just the bias of London-based journalists/MPs.

For what it's worth, I agree that there's an element of the UK press that doesn't pay attention when Greater Manchester is affected but does when it's happening where they live.

The Guardian has been very strong on this, although I would say that.

BUT...

By my reckoning (using figures from @AltusGroupUK), there are 94,264 hospitality venues in England.

35,742 of them are ALREADY in Tier 3, that's about 37% of the total.

Throw London into the mix and you get a further 15,489, adding another 16% and taking the total to well over half of England's hospitality venues.

That's a substantial difference when you're looking at the health of the sector overall.

AND...

It's weighted more towards some sectors than others.

London has about 28% of England's restaurants, so the restaurant sector moves from 33% closed (currently) to about 61%. That's a big leap.

In pubs, London is actually underrepresented (10% of England's pubs compared to the 43% already in Tier 3).

But, although it's in Tier 2 (until this afternoon?), London pubs are disproportionately smaller and more cramped, meaning many weren't able to open anyway.

All of which is to say that there are legitimate concerns about a London-centric attitude in the media and politics.

But when it comes to the health of the hospitality sector as a whole, it really does matter if London goes into Tier 3.

On the way, I also learned that Burnley has no venues registered (for business rates purposes) as a wine bar. So that's hopefully some consolation for A*senal fans, who have dozens to choose from.