'Entry Denied!': Labour's Battle with Pubs Promises a Fresh Year Challenge.

Labour MPs returning to their constituencies this end of the week might feel a sense of respite as a hectic parliamentary session wraps up. But, for those planning to visit their neighborhood bar for a restorative beer, goodwill could be lacking. Indeed, some may discover they are barred from entry.

Over the past few weeks, businesses throughout the nation have been displaying signs that proclaim "MPs Barred" in demonstration to changes in commercial property taxes revealed by the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in her autumn budget.

This campaign means one fewer retreat for many Labour MPs seeking solace from the difficult situation of their public disapproval. MPs now report commonplace antagonism in community settings after a difficult first year and a half that has seen the party's ratings fall from around a third to roughly 18%.

"It's challenging being the representative of the area you have forever lived in," remarked one. "The local pub is where we would go with the kids and just be a normal family. But the past occasions we've just ended up being shouted at by other patrons. Now I'm not even sure we'll be able to be served."

This feeling of frustration is visible in a social media post by Tom Hayes, the Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East, lamenting being banned from one of his regular haunts, the Larderhouse.

"We're in the festive period," he stated. "Yet the Larderhouse and other establishments with a 'No Labour MPs' notice in the window, they are eroding the community spirit that publicans have helped to foster." He continued, "Politics must be kept politics off the high street full stop, but especially at Christmas."

A Cornerstone in the Public Consciousness

After a difficult few years marked by rising expenses, the COVID-19 crisis, and changing habits, publicans were optimistic the budget might bring some assistance—namely through a overdue reform of the business rates system.

But the chancellor poured cold water on those expectations, leaving the system largely unchanged and choosing instead to lower headline rates and allocate £4.3bn over three years in aid for the retail and hospitality sectors.

While seemingly a supportive move, the impact of that support package has been dwarfed by the effect of a periodic property reassessment, which has caused the valuation of pubs and restaurants to spike from their Covid-affected lows.

From next April, rates are set to increase by 115% for the typical hotel and over three-quarters for a public house, compared with just four percent for large supermarkets and seven percent for logistics centres. A major hospitality group, which owns multiple brands, states it will face an additional tax bill of between £40m and £50m as a outcome.

Joe Butler, the landlord at the Tollemache Arms in Northamptonshire, explained: "Virtually instantly, the value of our business has increased twofold. That's going to be a significant burden for us."

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

"The cost of a drink 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 said.

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

"To create the worst possible financial plan for the hospitality sector and its customers, you couldn't have done much worse than what came out," remarked Ash Corbett-Collins, the chairperson of Camra, the consumer organisation.

A number within the governing party feel this is a fight they ought to have avoided, not least because of the central place the community pub plays in British culture.

Richard Quigley, the MP for the Isle of Wight West, who also runs a fish and chip shop on the island, commented: "We said 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 big corporations but up for local venues."

Some highlight that Keir Starmer himself has often been a frequent patron at his local, the Pineapple in north London, and frequently speaks of their value to local communities. "We all enjoy nothing more than going to the local for a pint, myself included," the prime minister remarked in February.

But pollsters liken confronting publicans to challenging NHS workers in terms of political risk.

Joe Twyman, co-founder of the polling firm Deltapoll, said: "From the Queen Vic to the Rovers Return, pubs have a cherished status in the national consciousness.

"In the public's view the local pub is perceived to be an integral component of the community, even if a good proportion of those same people will infrequently drink there.

"The political risk with antagonising pubs is that your critics will quickly accuse you of undermining the core of this country and its heritage, especially in the countryside. And they will be able to produce many powerful examples to drive the message home."

'Not a Personal Vendetta'

One such example is Andy Lennox, the landlord at the Old Thatch pub in Wimborne, Dorset, and the coordinator of the "No Labour MPs" campaign. Lennox states he has distributed notices to nearly 1,000 venues and is sending out 100 more every day.

His action has received support from several well-known figures, including broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson, who owns a pub called the Farmer's Dog, and pop star Rick Astley, who part-owns a bar in north London—although the latter has clarified he will not actually ban Labour MPs.

"We have pleaded for relief for a considerable period," stated Lennox, who is demanding a temporary VAT reduction. "Ministers is presenting this as a helpful policy but that's not what people are seeing, and that is the thing that has frustrated so many people."

Some within the industry feel a campaign targeting individual Labour MPs is could have unintended consequences. "I doubt it's a effective strategy to ban the exact people we should be trying to invite in and speak to," said Corbett-Collins.

When questioned this week, the Exchequer pointed to the package being made available to hospitality. "We are supporting pubs, restaurants and cafes with the budget's £4.3bn investment. This follows our work to ease licensing, maintaining our cut to alcohol duty on draught pints, and capping corporation tax," a representative commented.

The landlords, nevertheless, are in not the frame of mind to yield, even if losing MPs