'Entry Denied!': The Government's Dispute with Pubs Signals a Fresh Year Challenge.

Labour MPs heading back to their home districts this end of the week might breathe a sigh of relief as a chaotic political term wraps up. Yet, for those looking to stop by their local pub for a restorative beer, festive cheer could be in short supply. Actually, some may find they are barred from entry.

Over the past few weeks, establishments nationwide have been putting up signs that state "MPs Barred" in protest to adjustments in business rates revealed by the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in her most recent budget.

This movement means one fewer haven for many Labour MPs seeking solace from the harsh truth of their slumping poll ratings. Representatives now report frequent hostility in everyday places after a challenging first year and a half that has seen the party's ratings drop sharply from around 34% to roughly under a fifth.

"It can be hard being the representative of the area you have forever lived in," commented one. "Our neighborhood bar is where we used to go with the kids and just be a ordinary family. But the recent visits we've just ended up being shouted at by other customers. Now I'm not even sure we'll be able to be served."

This feeling of frustration is evident in a social media post by Tom Hayes, the Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East, addressing being banned from one of his local pubs, the Larderhouse.

"It's the Christmas season," he stated. "However the Larderhouse and other establishments with a 'No Labour MPs' notice in the window, they are damaging the community spirit that business owners have helped to nourish." He went on, "We need to remove politics off the main street full stop, but especially at Christmas."

A Cherished Institution in the Public Consciousness

After a tough times marked by rising expenses, the COVID-19 crisis, and changing habits, publicans were hopeful the budget might bring some assistance—specifically through a long-promised revamp of the business rates system.

However the chancellor poured cold water on those expectations, leaving the system unreformed and opting rather to reduce the multiplier and allocate £4.3bn over three years in aid for the shops, pubs, and restaurants sectors.

While seemingly a positive step, the benefit of that support package has been minimized by the effect of a periodic property reassessment, which has caused the rateable value of pubs and restaurants to increase sharply from their Covid-affected lows.

Beginning in next April, rates are set to increase by more than double for the typical hotel and 76% for a public house, versus just four percent for big grocery chains and seven percent for logistics centres. Whitbread, which owns multiple brands, says it will face an extra tax bill of between £40m and £50m as a result.

Joe Butler, the publican at the Tollemache Arms in Northamptonshire, said: "With the click of a finger, the value of our business has doubled. That's going to be a huge increase for us."

This pressure on publicans is inevitably felt in the price of a customer's pint.

"The price of a pint is now unaffordable. When we first became landlords 10 years ago, we charged £3.40 a pint. We're now nearly £7 a pint," Butler stated.

Furthermore, pandemic-related tax discounts are being phased out, while sector businesses are still managing increases in employer contributions and the minimum wage from last year's budget.

"If you wanted to write the worst possible financial plan for the hospitality sector and its customers, you wouldn't have got far away from what was announced," stated Ash Corbett-Collins, the chair of Camra, the consumer organisation.

A number within the Labour party think this is a confrontation they ought to have avoided, not least because of the vital place the community pub plays in British culture.

Richard Quigley, the Labour MP for the Isle of Wight West, who also operates a fish and chip shop on the island, commented: "We pledged for two years to the sector that we are going to offer relief but then they get slapped with this new assessment. We cannot allow rates going down for large multinational companies but increasing for local venues."

Some note that Keir Starmer himself has historically been a regular at his local pub, the Pineapple in north London, and often references their importance to neighborhoods. "There is little we prefer than going to the local for a pint, myself included," the PM said in February.

However political analysts compare confronting pub owners to doing so with NHS workers in terms of popular sentiment.

Joe Twyman, co-founder of the public opinion consultancy Deltapoll, explained: "In fiction and in fact, pubs have a unique position in the public imagination.

"To a lot of individuals the local pub is perceived to be an integral component of the locality, even if a significant number of those same people will rarely actually drink there.

"The danger for politicians with making an enemy of pubs is that your critics will easily be able to accuse you of assaulting the core of this nation and its heritage, especially in the countryside. And they will be able to produce many emotive examples to prove their point."

'A Matter of Principle'

One such example is Andy Lennox, the landlord at the Old Thatch pub in Wimborne, Dorset, and the coordinator of the "No Labour MPs" initiative. Lennox reports he has handed out stickers to nearly 1,000 premises and is sending out 100 more every day.

His action has received support from several high-profile figures, including television presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who owns a pub called the Farmer's Dog, and pop star Rick Astley, who part-owns a bar in north London—however the latter has indicated he will not formally bar Labour MPs.

"We have been asking for relief for a considerable period," explained Lennox, who is demanding a temporary VAT reduction. "Ministers is presenting this as a support measure but that's not what people are feeling, and that is the thing that has frustrated so many people."

A number within the sector believe a campaign banning individual Labour MPs is could be counterproductive. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to ban the very individuals we should be trying to engage with and speak to," said Corbett-Collins.

When asked this week, the Exchequer pointed to the package being offered to hospitality. "We are supporting the hospitality industry with the budget's £4.3bn investment. This follows our work to ease licensing, maintaining our reduction to alcohol duty on beer from the tap, and capping corporation tax," a representative commented.

The landlords, nevertheless, are in not the frame of mind to compromise, even if alienating MPs