Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been slammed by key hospitality industry members, with their latest fire-fighting moves utterly ridiculed
Rachel Reeves has been accused of playing “bait and switch” with the UK’s struggling hospitality industry – while Keir Starmer has “let down” the British public. The scathing comments have been made by a series of key figures inside the hospitality industry.
Despite Labour’s Chancellor giving a 15% discount on business rates to bars and music venues, the rest of the industry has been ignored. And speaking to the Norwich Evening News, several business owners have slammed bother Reeves – who is now planning to tax churches – and the Prime Minister for the detrimental impact they’ve had on the industry.
One of those, Mike Baxter, who owns a local nightclub said: “Many venues are still at risk of closure. They have given a small amount of relief, but it’s not going to help anyone.
“It’s like a bait and switch for good publicity. We are being asked to pay the gap, competing against online businesses that the government don’t tax.
“There’s more pressure on the high streets than ever. I feel let down by the current leadership.”
And Dawn Hopkins, vice chair of Campaign for Pubs and the owner of the Rose Inn pub said: “It is just another sticking plaster, and while a relief, it does not address the fundamental unfairness of the business rates system to pubs.”
The scathing comments come less than one week after it was announced that the government would be introducing a support package to save the average pub an additional £1,650 in 2026/27.
Around 75% of pubs will see their bills fall or stay flat over the same year with the pub sector as a whole paying 8% less in business rates in 2029 than they do currently.
And in classic vague fashion, they also said that other sectors continue to benefit from the £4.3 billion support package and from permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties.
In comments that appear to have fallen on deaf ears, Reeves said: “If we’re going to restore the pride in our communities, we need our pubs and our high streets to thrive. We’re backing British pubs with additional support, and our new High Streets Strategy will help tackle the long-term challenges that our much-loved retail, leisure and hospitality businesses have faced.
“Thriving local businesses, bustling high streets and pride restored in our communities – that’s what this government is delivering.”
It was also confirmed that a special World Cup extension to keep pubs open until 1am for any quarter final, semi-final or the final if the match starts at or before 9pm, and until 2am for any quarter final if the match starts at 10pm would happen later this year.
Yay . . . maybe?
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