𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Sir Keir Starmer has been told he is in the “last chance saloon” as the Government was forced into yet another U-turn. The scathing verdict came from Steve Wright, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, which is affiliated to the Labour Party.

He told Vicki Young on the BBC’s Politics Live: “The workers that are represented by trade unions, millions of workers, are saying that their wages are being suppressed, public services are being cut for too long, and we need to see a change there. I think it’s a last chance saloon for the Prime Minister, actually. I think he’s been given 18 months to actually show what change he was elected to deliver on, and he’s not doing that.”

Mr Wright predicted Labour would be losers in May’s elections in Scotland, Wales and English local councils. He said: “I think it will be shown in the May elections and like I say it’s a last chance saloon for the Prime Minister to come out and be radical and bold, and start turning this country around”.

On Thursday, it emerged that ministers are to U-turn on increasing business rates for pubs in the face of mounting pressure from landlords and backbench MPs, the Press Association understands.

Pubs have been facing the prospect of much higher business rates after the Chancellor announced plans to end Covid-era discounts in her Budget in November.

The Government had put in place a £4.3billion fund to help pubs with the transition to higher rates, but more assistance will now be made available after an outcry from the industry.

Sources said Rachel Reeves would announce a package of support in the coming days, likely to include business rates relief and measures to cut licensing red tape.

Sir Keir has already been forced into U-turns over attempts to limit winter fuel payments for pensions, cut the number of people eligible for disability benefits, and hike inheritance tax on family farms.

He also changed course over the two-child benefit cap, compensation for women affected by state pension increases, and employment rights for workers from day one in a new job.

Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson has been working on plans to provide more support to pubs.

Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said his colleagues had been “talking to the pub industry” about its worries and appreciated “how important the pub industry is economically and culturally to the UK”.

While he would not confirm that a U-turn was on the way, he added: “We really value the role of the pub in British life. We want to help pubs.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the move was the Government’s “first U-turn of 2026”.

She wrote on social media on Thursday: “Yesterday Keir Starmer told us Labour had ‘turned a corner’.

“Well, it looks like they’ve turned the corner straight into their first U-turn of 2026.

“Labour are killing Britain’s pubs. This rumoured U-turn is too little, too late. It’s time to back our local pubs.”