Pub landlords up and down the country are demanding a rethink of a Labour tax hike that could force many to close for good. It comes as many boozers have barredLabour MPs
Pub landlords are set to descend on Westminster in a mass protest against a hefty hike in business rates that could see them pulling their last pints. Among the protesters rallying on January 30 is Andy Lennox, landlord of Dorset’s Old Thatch pub, who spearheaded a campaign to give Labour MPs the boot from Britain’s boozers.
He declared: “All the trade bodies and a lot of the bigger organisations are now starting to organise for proper industrial action. There’s a protest planned for the end of the month, and we’re looking into some major kind of industrial action now.”
Ash Corbett-Collins, chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale, added: “Instead of months of uncertainty and the prospect of thousands of otherwise viable pubs having to close their doors for good, the Prime Minister and Chancellor should give in to pressure, accept the inevitable and announce a rethink now.”
Under changes announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, business rates for the average community pub are set to soar by £6,000, while 4,800 of the smallest pubs will be slapped with a business rates bill for the first time, warns the British Beer and Pub Association.
Ms Reeves found herself barred from her local, the Marsh Inn in her Leeds West and Pudsey constituency, and Mr Lennox has shipped out more than 1,000 stickers emblazoned with “no Labour MPs” to pubs that asked for them, reports the Express.
Labour MP Rachel Maskell voiced her concerns to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Parliament on Wednesday.
Newly proposed road safety legislation, essentially outlawing driving after even a sip of alcohol, would put rural pubs in an even tighter squeeze, campaign groups are warning.
Countryside Alliance’s head honcho, Tim Bonner, fumed: “It seems this is yet another policy consideration from Whitehall that has not been rural-proofed and will likely have a disproportionate knock-on effect for pubs in the countryside.”
Ministers are now locked in discussions with pub trade bigwigs, according to Downing Street. The Prime Minister’s right-hand man chimed in: “The Prime Minister has been very clear that discussions with the sector continue and we’re talking to them about what further support we can put in.”
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