Why is Boris so determined to save Pret?

There are many reasons why employees might want to return to their offices and why their employers might be keen to get them there – such as to promote the exchange of ideas in an active environment, to help new recruits learn on the job, and, as Matthew Lynn argued here earlier, for employees to avoid their jobs being outsourced to South Asia. But is it really the job of government to launch a ‘back to the office’ campaign just to prop up the nation’s coffee shops? That is how the Prime Minister seems to see it, and he appears to be backed by Rishi Sunak, who, moved by news of 3000 job losses at Pret, is reported to be considering an extension of his Eat Out to Help Out scheme in targeted areas – namely, commercial districts where coffee and sandwich shops are still suffering from a dramatic drop in footfall.