The landlord who started the campaign to ban all Labour MPs from pubs across the UK has announced there’s a “protest planned” for the end of January.
Andy Lennox told LBC, “We’re definitely pushing down the farmer route,” as there is continued pressure on farmers and pub landlords amid business rates and higher unsustainable tax hikes.
Thousands of pubs will face closure as they will have to pay business rates amid a revaluation of their rateable values, this has sparked pub landlords across the UK banning Labour MPs from their bars.
The Chancellor has turned her back on pubs and will not provide them with the essential financial support, despite the Prime Minister warning many “will struggle” with changes to business rates.
Rachel Reeves announced in the last Budget there will be an end to the Covid-era business rates relief from April 2026.
Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari, Lennox said, “All the trade bodies and a lot of the bigger organisations are now starting to organise for proper industrial action… There’s a protest planned for the end of the month, and we’re looking into some major kind of industrial action now.”
Earlier this week, Sir Keir Starmer told LBC, “Obviously, what’s happened is there were reductions in place during COVID, which were always going to be unwound… I accept that because of revaluation, that means that some will have their bills going up.
“We want to talk to the sector, I want to keep working with them to make sure we can work this through… whether that’s on licensing freedoms or other measures.”
On Monday Tom Kerridge, the TV chef said that the Business Secretary Peter Kyle, is “incredibly supportive” for the sector.
Kerridge told LBC, “[From] the conversation with Peter that isn’t something that he has control over. That sits in Treasury. He has a meeting with the Treasury next week. He’s presenting the case. He was incredibly supportive.”
Sir Keir Starmer told GB News, “We’re working with the sector, particularly in hospitality. Obviously, there were reductions [in business rates] in place because of Covid, which were going to come to an end.”
