Pubs are the ‘whipping boy’ in Labour’s ‘wanton’ destruction of enterprise, says brewery chief

Richard Bailey is chairman of the Independent Family Brewers of Britain

The quiet existence of Britain’s regional family brewers is a priceless part of the cultural heritage of our nation. 

Our companies have been walking in tandem with the fortunes of the country for over 300 years and have seen many governments come and go over those centuries. 

Brewery chief Richard Bailey

We are responsible for the multi-generational stewardship of more than 4,000 of some of the best pubs in Britain.

The measures taken by this current government to increase tax and the burden of law on landlords and pubs will decimate this beloved and critical sector.

Despite consistent lobbying as to the policies that would actually boost the industry, you can only assume from the government’s recent actions and policy decisions that there is a wanton desire to wipe them out, destroy employment and vandalise our communities.

Going to the pub is becoming increasingly unaffordable. Your local may not even be open every day due to ever increasing taxes and legislation.

Alcohol duty, inflation busting minimum wages rises, national insurance raids, VAT, corporation tax, business rates, green energy levies, packaging taxes, death duties – the list is long and depressing.

Pubs are being used a whipping boy by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and the Treasury who are deaf to the loud voices of industry that warn of hardship, closure and the cultural obliteration of our communities.

This political leadership appear to have completely lost sight of the vital role that pubs play in the nation’s economic and social wellbeing – or maybe they really don’t care.

The country’s pubs are utterly undervalued for the role they play in British society. They are not merely places to drink. They are hubs of social connection, charity, and community cohesion. Spaces that combat loneliness, foster local identity and bring people together across generations. Who in their right mind would purposefully destroy this?

Pubs are a major employer. They provide hundreds of thousands of jobs nationwide. Many of these in rural and disadvantaged areas where alternative employment is scarce and farming suffers its own pressures.

Rachel Reeves has been accused of turning pubs into ‘a whipping boy’ as taxes rise

Pubs are often the first port of call for young people to start work and begin to gain confidence. This government has destroyed our social contract by making it more costly and less attractive to employ young people setting out in life. Why is this positive?

Our family brewers provide long-term, skilled employment and invest patiently in local communities. Our centuries long approach does not pursue short-term returns. Now on the passing of one generation to the next this government has changed the rules and would like us to break up our businesses to sell off assets to pay their inheritance taxes.

The pub is woven into the very fabric of British life. Once lost, these institutions will not easily be replaced. If we fail to recognise their value — economically, socially and culturally — we risk allowing a defining feature of our national character to disappear.

The latest announcement on reducing the drink drive limit seems disproportionate given the steady decline of drink-driving related accidents and fatalities and doesn’t seem to take into account there is an obvious lack of public transport. This will mean those in rural communities who genuinely rely on the pub as the only place they can gather with others will be shut off, and lead to those village pubs shutting their doors and jobs being lost.

Talk of relaxing licensing laws and consulting with the industry are warm words and convenient soundbites that offer no comfort to those fearing the death of this unique part of British life

Be under no illusion, this is not help, or alleviation of the stark economic pressures that the pub industry faces today. Staying open longer doesn’t help when you can’t afford to pay the team or you are shutting a few days a week to try and save every bean you can because the cost of employment and energy is so high.

Despite the bleak picture we find ourselves in, it does not have to be this way if Government acts sensibly and swiftly. With fairer taxation and proper recognition of the sector’s contribution, Britain’s pubs can continue to thrive for generations to come.

It is time for common sense to prevail and the insatiable hunger to bleed pubs dry to be put to one side. You cannot drink from an empty husk, or a shut pub. When your MP’s are being banned from their local you know something is seriously wrong.

We hear rumours of the government listening to the industry and a possible amendment to the huge business rate increases that they have proposed for pubs. That may herald a step in the right direction to start to address the dire state of affairs that they have created for the pub industry and will be a huge relief for business owners up and down the land worried for their future.