'Entry Denied!': Labour's Dispute with Pubs Signals a Fresh Year Problem.

Elected representatives heading back to their local areas this weekend might feel a sense of respite as a turbulent political term wraps up. But, for those hoping to frequent their community tavern for a casual pint, goodwill could be scarce. Indeed, some may find they are barred from entry.

For weeks, venues throughout the nation have been displaying signs that proclaim "No Labour MPs" in protest to changes in commercial property taxes announced by the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in her autumn financial statement.

This movement results in one fewer haven for many elected officials seeking solace from the harsh truth of their party's unpopularity. Representatives now describe frequent hostility in community settings after a rocky first year and a half that has seen the approval numbers drop sharply from around 34% to roughly 18%.

"It is difficult being the MP of the area you have forever lived in," commented one. "The local pub is where we used to go with the kids and just be a normal family. But the last few times we've just ended up being verbally abused by other patrons. Now I'm not even sure we'll be able to enter."

This feeling of frustration is visible in a recent video by Tom Hayes, the Labour MP for Bournemouth East, discussing being refused entry to one of his local pubs, the Larderhouse.

"It's the Christmas season," he noted. "However the Larderhouse and other establishments with a 'No Labour MPs' notice in the window, they are eroding the inclusive culture that publicans have helped to nourish." He continued, "We need to remove politics off the main street completely, but above all at Christmas."

A Cornerstone in the National Identity

After a tough times marked by rising expenses, the pandemic, and evolving social trends, licensees were optimistic the chancellor's statement might bring some support—specifically through a long-promised overhaul of the business rates system.

Yet the chancellor poured cold water on those expectations, keeping the system largely unchanged and opting rather to reduce headline rates and allocate £4.3bn over three years in financial support for the shops, pubs, and restaurants sectors.

While seemingly a supportive move, the benefit of that funding pledge has been overshadowed by the effect of a periodic property revaluation, which has caused the rateable value of pubs and restaurants to spike from their Covid-affected lows.

From next April, business taxes are set to rise by 115% for the average hotel and over three-quarters for a public house, versus just 4% for large supermarkets and 7% for logistics centres. Whitbread, which owns pubs, restaurants and the Premier Inn hotel chain, states it will face an additional tax bill of between £40m and £50m as a consequence.

Joe Butler, the landlord at the Tollemache Arms in Northamptonshire, explained: "Literally overnight, the worth of our business has increased twofold. That's going to be a massive rise for us."

This financial strain on business owners is inevitably passed on to 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.

Furthermore, Covid-era tax reliefs are being phased out, while sector businesses are still coping with rises in employer contributions and the living wage from last year's budget.

"If you wanted to write the worst possible budget for the hospitality sector and its customers, you couldn't have done much worse than what came out," stated Ash Corbett-Collins, the chair of Camra, the consumer organisation.

Many within the Labour party feel this is a confrontation they ought to have avoided, not least because of the central role the local pub holds in society.

Richard Quigley, the Labour MP for the Isle of Wight West, who also operates a chip shop on the island, argued: "We said for two years to the sector that we are going to provide support but then they get slapped with this revaluation. We must not see taxes being reduced for large multinational companies but up for local venues."

Some highlight that Keir Starmer himself has historically been a frequent patron at his local pub, the Pineapple in north London, and frequently speaks of their value to neighborhoods. "There is little we prefer than going to the pub for a pint, myself included," the PM remarked in February.

But pollsters compare confronting publicans to taking on NHS workers in terms of political risk.

Joe Twyman, co-founder of the public opinion consultancy Deltapoll, said: "In fiction and in fact, pubs have a special place in the British psyche.

"For many people the neighborhood inn is regarded as an key pillar of the community, even if a significant number of those same people will rarely actually drink there.

"The hazard with making an enemy of pubs is that your political rivals will quickly accuse you of attacking the core of this nation and its traditions, notably in rural areas. And they will be able to produce many emotive examples to prove their point."

'Not a Personal Vendetta'

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

His action has been backed by a number of high-profile figures, such as television presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who owns a pub called the Farmer's Dog, and singer Rick Astley, who part-owns a brewpub in north London—however the latter has indicated he will not refuse service to Labour MPs.

"We have pleaded for help for a years," said Lennox, who is calling for a temporary VAT reduction. "Ministers is spinning this as a support measure but that's not what people are seeing, and that is the thing that has aggrieved so many people."

A number within the industry feel a campaign targeting individual politicians is likely to have unintended consequences. "I doubt it's a good idea to ban the precise representatives we should be trying to invite in and lobby," said Corbett-Collins.

When pressed this week, the Exchequer pointed to the assistance being offered to the sector. "We have aided pubs, restaurants and cafes with the budget's £4.3bn funding. This comes on top of our work to simplify licensing, maintaining our reduction to alcohol duty on draught pints, and capping corporation tax," a spokesperson stated.

The publicans, however, are in not the frame of mind to compromise, even if turning away MPs