Rayner and Burnham take aim at Starmer's pub taxes
Feb 13, 2026
Two prominent potential leadership challengers to Sir Keir Starmer have attacked the government’s tax regime for putting hospitality businesses, and particularly pubs, under serious pressure.
Angela Rayner acknowledged that the hike to the minimum wage has put pressure on hospitality businesses, and said that the government needs to “start relieving” the sector.
Starmer’s former deputy PM told a night-time economy conference: “I talked about the challenges of business rates, the challenges of VAT, the challenges, yes, of the minimum wage going up, and the living wage and the cost of energy.
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