'She's killing us!' Adam Brooks urges Britons to support local pubs as Rachel Reeves hammers landlord with £40,000 in extra costs

Declaring he has banned Labour MPs from his Essex-based boozer, Mr Brooks told GB News: "I've got a sticker in the window and I've joined I think about 1,000 other publicans up and down the country, barring Labour MPs. It's a protest movement.

"They are killing our trade. The Conservatives weren't very kind to us, but Labour has been intent on finishing us off. The National Insurance contributions hike was a disaster for us in the first Budget, and now we're seeing business rates, mine are jumping by about 50 per cent next year."

Hitting out at the Government, he added: "It's the lies, they stand up in Parliament and say that they want to help hospitality, but we've seen hundreds of thousands of jobs lost from this trade, from this industry, and 2026 is going to be a very challenging year.

"I've had a great Christmas, I couldn't be happier. My customers have seen in a beautiful Christmas in this pub. The tills have been ringing, but January and February are going to be very tough. And I just urge your viewers, please go and support your local pub.

"We're not some sort of millionaires, we're not these big entrepreneurs that are throwing our money around with Rolls Royces, we're local businessmen and our pubs are at the heart of the local community."

As Martin highlighted that one pub a day was either closed or demolished in Britain this year, Mr Brooks feared the same level of closures will take place in 2026, if not more.

He told GB News: "Unfortunately, I know a few that are giving up in January, February. They're seeing in the new year and then they've had enough. Publicans that have been doing this decades and are far better publicans than me.

"These are the cream of the crop and they've had enough, it's just not worth doing it anymore, and they firmly put that at the door of Rachel Reeves. Her two Budgets have absolutely killed us."

He admitted: "She's added about £35,000 to £40,000 in extra costs to my pub. It's a small backstreet pub, it's not some big high road establishment. This is a small backstreet pub. How can people survive?

"I'm on WhatsApp groups of restauranteurs, publicans, cafe owners, and they are just pulling their hair out, and it is all down to this Government and the last 18 months. As I say, the Conservatives were bad, but this lot, it looks intentional. It looks like they're trying to destroy the pub trade."

Asked by Martin what he would like to see done by the Labour Government to fix the damage done to the industry, Mr Brooks said: "This Labour Government have shown their authoritarian colours. They want to control every aspect of our lives.

"And as I say, the Conservatives weren't much better, but these are these are making the Tories look like Saints at the moment.

"What I would like to see, and what many people in hospitality are just asking for, is a simple VAT cut like what we're seeing across Europe. Their VAT rate is like 10 or 12 per cent. We're expected to collect 20 per cent for HMRC and the Treasury.

"Now that keeps prices high, that means our cash flow is affected. The bills that we have every quarter are tens of thousands of pounds. We are basically a tax collecting service for HMRC. How can we get on with our business if the majority of our pint is through tax?"

He explained: "I earn about 15p for every pint that people buy in this pub, 15p profit. Now, I lay the door, I'm the freeholder of my pub, but my rent is high and a lot of the breweries are charging high rents. That hurts, but we're not helped by Government.

"When you think of how much tax we collect, why are we being prosecuted so much by a Government? Because you cannot collect taxes from a closed business, especially a closed pub. Rachel Reeves needs to know that.

"Give us a VAT cut and watch us. We led the economy out of the the doldrums from COVID and we can do it again. Just let us do it. Let us trade."

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