Rachel Reeves has been barred from her local pub amid backlash over tax hikes hitting the hospitality industry.
A pub landlord in the Chancellor’s Leeds constituency has told her not to step inside his venue this Christmas after a sharp rise in business rates left him £2,500 worse off.
Martin Knowles, who runs the Marsh Inn, says he has moved to ban Labour MPs from the pub – including Ms Reeves – in response to the Government’s tax hikes on the hospitality sector.
He told the Daily Mail: “I thought I’d ban them all, including the local MP, as they are not doing our industry any favours at all.”
Rachel Reeves has been barred from her local pub amid backlash over tax hikes hitting the hospitality industry
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Mr Knowles added that the regulars in his venue seemed “quite happy with the ban”.
Pubs are being squeezed from all sides by soaring National Insurance bills and a higher minimum wage, with industry figures warning the pressure is becoming unsustainable.
The warnings come after the Chancellor indicated over the weekend that further tax increases in 2026 remain on the table.
Hospitality operators have said they have been left carrying a disproportionate share of the burden, particularly as business rate reforms are expected to see the average pub’s tax bill double by the end of the decade.
Martin Knowles, who runs the Marsh Inn, says he has moved to ban Labour MPs from the pub
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Mr Knowles has said the Chancellor could return to his pub – but only if she cuts PAYE and VAT, freezes the rising minimum wage, and reverses the skyrocketing business rates.
The move places him among a growing number of pub owners nationwide who say Labour policies have left them with no choice but to bar the party’s MPs from their premises.
The backlash has also attracted prominent supporters, with TV personality Jeremy Clarkson openly joining the protest by posting a “No Labour MPs” sign at his Cotswolds venue, The Farmer’s Dog.
The former Top Gear star said: “Our annual business rates have gone up astronomically from something like £28,000 to well over £50,000. It is a disgrace.”
GREAT BRITISH PUBS UNDER THREAT – READ MORE:
Jeremy Clarkson joined the protest by posting a ‘No Labour MPs’ sign at his Cotswolds venue
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Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith said: “Business rates hikes are hammering pubs with eye-watering increases.
“It is no wonder Rachel Reeves is barred from her local.
“Labour doesn’t understand businesses. They should undo these punishing changes before they drive the Great British pub to extinction.”
Mr Knowles’ wife, Melanie, said that every day was a “struggle” for the couple trying to keep the business afloat, adding that the Chancellor “won’t get through the door again”.
She said: “Other people are shutting the doors on these places and throwing the keys back because they can’t make a living any more. They’re not even breaking even.
“It’s down to the cost of living, too, because customers are struggling and where is the first place that you cut down? Socialising.
“It’s because the Labour Government have made everything so expensive for people to do.”
A Treasury spokesman said: “We’re protecting pubs, restaurants and cafes with the Budget’s £4.3 billion support package.
“This comes on top of our efforts to ease licensing to help more venues offer pavement drinks and put on one-off events, maintaining our cut to alcohol duty on draught pints, and capping corporation tax.”
