Fun-police Labour are waging a war on pubs

From business rates to labour costs and even employment regulations that could require landlords to clamp down on free speech, this Labour government has launched an all-out assault on pubs, says Chris Philp

For millions of Londoners – especially those who WFH on Friday – when the end of week in the office comes into view, furtive glances are exchanged with colleagues along with a gesture towards the door. Pints after work towards the end of a week of graft are well deserved.

We all have a local we know and love; a place to grab a pint with friends and look forward to the coming weekend. 

Pubs are the heart of our City, supporting the local economy and providing a place to unwind after a hard week. But this Labour government’s nanny-state agenda and record-high taxes are putting locals across London at risk.

With the Chancellor’s cuts to business rates relief, pubs will have to fork out 140 per cent more. The average pub faces an extra £5,519 in business rates from this April.

With the Chancellor’s cuts to business rates relief, pubs will have to fork out 140 per cent more

And where do those costs go? Straight on the price of a pint. That’s an even more expensive round and a bitter pill to swallow.

Raising national insurance won’t help either. That’s around £7,200 on top of the wage bill for the average pub. It’s not just a tax on businesses; it’s a tax on jobs, threatening the livelihoods of bar staff.

And workers will be given more opportunities to sue their employer for dismissal, making businesses – including pubs – reluctant to take on new people as it gets ever harder to let them go if things don’t work out – or risk getting embroiled in costly legal battles which only benefit lawyers.

An expansion of workplace employment regulations will now also see pub landlords turned into free speech police, clamping down on chat that doesn’t adhere to increasingly vague and changing regulations. Now, call me old-fashioned, but I think a pub should be a place where you can have a beer and relax.

Landlords shouldn’t be turned into language police, monitoring the regulars and ensuring they don’t violate rapidly changing speech laws.

Labour could scrap the Imperial Pint

And if that isn’t enough, Labour could also scrap the Imperial Pint. The British Pint is more than a drink; it symbolises our heritage. Labour’s plans risk making your drink smaller, watering down your booze and our history in one go.

Labour’s plans risk making your drink smaller, watering down your booze and our history in one go

So much for Keir Starmer’s pledge on the steps of Downing Street for government to tread more lightly on our lives. 

Conservatives backed pubs when we were in government. A 75 per cent business rate relief saved pubs around £6,650 a year. We stood up for free speech and the Imperial Pint. But things have changed.

And whilst we’re in opposition now, we’re still committed to protecting the great British pub from Labour’s schemes. Labour’s assault on pubs threatens jobs, communities and cherished traditions.

We must all stand up for our local. Join our campaign savethelocal.co.uk to stop Labour’s war on British pubs and protect the heart of London in the process.

Chris Philp is shadow home secretary