No 10 backs ‘vertical drinking’ in Soho pubs Hospitality Downing Street has waded into the debate over so-called “vertical drinking” and called on Westminster City Council to “work with” the industry to maintain the culture of pints outside London pubs. “Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs,” [...]
Heathrow boss warns Burnham against Budget raid after hub’s tax bill doubles Aviation The boss of Heathrow has warned Andy Burnham against using business as a cash cow at his maiden Budget this autumn, after the airport’s tax bill more than doubled in the space of a year. Thomas Woldbye said the aviation sector is one of the most heavily taxed industries in Britain, and that uptick in [...]
Hilton, Butlins left fuming over business rates snub Hospitality Hilton and Butlins have been left fuming after being snubbed by Andy Burnham’s pledge to slash business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues. The two hospitality giants said that hotels and resorts have been unfairly ignored by successive government interventions to cut the business rates bills of hospitality firms. Stephen Cassidy, senior vice president [...]
‘Dwarfed by other costs’ – Why cutting business rates for pubs won’t save the sector July 24, 2026 Andy Burnham has unveiled his long-awaited support for the UK’s struggling pubs, but the hospitality industry is contending with far more pressures than just business rates Andy Burnham’s pledge to cut business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues is expected to save each venue more than £1,000 next year in a move that comes [...]
Social media ban driving ‘screen-free’ sales, The Works boss says July 23, 2026 The boss of discount retailer The Works has said the government’s crackdown on social media usage has driven customers towards the “screen-free activities” offered in his stores. Gavin Peck, chief executive of the Aim-listed retailer, believes Labour’s incoming social media ban has pushed up demand among parents for analogue activities for their children and was [...]
‘Ever-widening gap’: Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin urges Burnham to cut more pub taxes July 23, 2026 JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has called on the Prime Minister to go further to reduce the soaring tax burden faced by pubs. The chairman of the UK’s best-known pub chain said Burnham’s decision to slash business rates for pubs is an “implicit recognition that the hospitality sector is over taxed”. The Prime Minister announced [...]
Burnham to cut pub business rates by 20 per cent July 23, 2026 Andy Burnham has unveiled a 20 per cent cut to business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues. The £100m commitment will be funded by cracking down on businesses, like vape shops and tax-avoidant online sellers, which “do not make a positive contribution to local communities,” the government said. The measure comes as part of [...]
Wetherspoon shares dive as pub chain warns on profit again July 22, 2026 JD Wetherspoon shares slumped after it issued its fourth profit warning this year, as the pub chain grapples with surging food and energy costs and a rising business rates bill. Tim Martin, founder and chairman of the UK’s best-known pub chain, said: “Profits for the year are likely to be below market expectations, with marginally [...]
Warehouse tax could threaten high street businesses, Burnham warned July 20, 2026 Andy Burnham‘s plans to hike taxes on warehouses to pay for business rates cuts for pubs and shops could backfire and raise costs for high street businesses, industry figures have warned. The UK Warehousing Association (UKWA), a trade body representing retailers including Amazon, Co-op and John Lewis, has written to the new Prime Minister urging [...]
Burnham: I’ll be a pro-business Prime Minister July 17, 2026 Andy Burnham has vowed to be a pro-business Prime Minister who will reindustrialise Britain and support the country’s small businesses. Speaking after he was crowned Labour leader on Friday, the former Manchester mayor railed against “four decades of neoliberalism” which he said had seen political power concentrated in Westminster while “economic power was privatised”. In [...]