Labour Members of Parliament returning to their constituencies for the festive break are discovering that local hospitality may be distinctly unwelcoming. A grassroots campaign, seeing publicans erect 'No Labour MPs' signs in their windows, is preventing politicians from enjoying a customary pint with constituents, exposing a raw political nerve over the government's economic policy.
The Budget That Sparked a Pub Rebellion
The source of the friction is Chancellor Rachel Reeves's recent budget. While it included a £4.3bn support package for retail and hospitality over three years, it left the core business rates system unreformed. This decision was overshadowed by a property revaluation that has dramatically increased the taxable value of pubs and restaurants from their pandemic-era lows.
The consequences are stark: from next April, rates will rocket by an average of 76% for pubs and 115% for hotels. In contrast, large supermarkets will see a mere 4% rise. Whitbread, the parent company of Premier Inn and various pubs, faces an additional £40m to £50m tax bill. For landlords like Joe Butler of the Tollemache Arms in Northamptonshire, the impact is immediate. "Literally overnight, the click of a finger, the value of our business has doubled," he said.
'Not a Personal Vendetta' But a Collective Stand
The protest, organised by Andy Lennox, landlord of the Old Thatch in Wimborne, Dorset, has gained significant traction. Lennox claims to have distributed stickers to nearly 1,000 establishments and is sending out a further 100 daily. He has received backing from notable figures including Jeremy Clarkson, though pop star Rick Astley, a brewpub part-owner, has stated he will not enforce a ban.
"This is not a personal vendetta against anyone personally," insisted Joe Butler, referring to his local MP, Rosie Wrighting. "We would politely ask her to leave. This is just a stand that we're taking collectively as an industry." The campaign is causing palpable dismay among MPs. Tom Hayes, the Labour MP for Bournemouth East, lamented in a video about being barred from the Larderhouse, arguing such actions "undermine the inclusive culture" of local communities.
A Political Storm in a Beer Glass
The row threatens to taint the government's budget narrative and highlights Labour's plummeting poll ratings, which have fallen from around 34% to 18% in its first 18 months. One minister privately admitted, "The pubs row is the one weak spot in the budget. That's the thing we may need to backtrack on."
Pollsters warn of the significant political risk. Joe Twyman of Deltapoll noted that pubs hold "a special place in the British psyche," symbolising community. "The political risk with making an enemy of pubs is that your opponents will easily be able to accuse you of attacking at the very heart of this country and its history," he said.
This is acutely awkward for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a self-professed regular at his local, The Pineapple in north London, who frequently champions pubs' community role. The tension is summed up by Labour MP Richard Quigley, who also runs a chip shop: "We said for two years to pubs and hospitality businesses that we are going to help you out but then they get hit by this revaluation." As the new year approaches, the government faces a bitter hangover from a fight many in the party believe it never should have picked.
