0:00
The UK is facing a hospitality crisis,
0:02
and even Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham
0:05
agree. The former deputy PM and the
0:07
mayor of Manchester, who are both
0:08
front-runners to take over from Keir
0:10
Starmer, have come out swinging against
0:12
the government's current tax regime.
0:14
They've both broken rank with the
0:15
government's line on hospitality to
0:17
attack some of the causes of the massive
0:20
pressure on the sector. Angela Rayner,
0:22
who was the leading voice behind the
0:24
government's employment rights
0:26
legislation, acknowledged that the
0:27
higher minimum wage is making it harder
0:29
for bars, restaurants, and pubs to
0:31
actually employ people. Rayner has
0:33
warned that the government must start
0:34
relieving the sector before more local
0:36
landmarks vanish from our high streets
0:39
forever. While the Chancellor, Rachel
0:40
Reeves, recently announced a 300 million
0:43
pound support package, critics,
0:45
including those within her own party,
0:46
have said that it doesn't go nearly far
0:48
enough. For many pub landlords, business
0:50
rates are the final nail in the coffin.
0:52
Some venues have seen their tax bills
0:54
double, jumping from around 50,000 to
0:56
over 100,000 almost overnight. Andy
0:59
Burnham is calling for a total overhaul
1:01
of the system. He argues that we need a
1:03
tax regime that recognizes the actual
1:05
value the hospitality adds to the
1:07
economy. According to Burnham, it's not
1:08
just about pints, it's about live music,
1:11
bars, restaurants, and other venues,
1:13
too. He says the current system is
1:15
outdated, and it's failing local
1:16
businesses around the UK. And with 500
1:19
pubs predicted to close this year alone,
1:21
the pressure on Downing Street is
1:23
mounting. Rayner and Burnham's
1:25
interventions suggest a deepening divide
1:28
within the party about how to achieve
1:30
economic growth without crushing the
1:32
lifeblood of the UK high street. So,
1:34
what do you think? Will the government
1:36
perform yet another U-turn on
1:38
hospitality, or are we going to continue
1:40
to see local pubs die out up and down
1:42
the country? Let us know what you think
