𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Labour is pricing working people out of the pub, Sir Keir Starmer has been warned ahead of the tax hikes expected in this month’s Budget. Ninety-one per cent of landlords will put up prices if Chancellor Rachel Reeves hikes spirits excise duty, according to polling commissioned by the UK Spirits Alliance (UKSA).

The research found 55% of people have cut back on how often they go for a drink – and the industry fears this will increase. It claims that with 70% of the cost of an “average bottle of gin” going to Treasury, Britain has the highest duty in the G7.

The UKSA is calling for a “complete freeze” in the duty, claiming this will bring “fast and immediate relief to a sector that is in crisis”.

Neema Rai, who founded the Tamesis Dock bar on a converted barge a short walk from the Houses of Parliament, said: “The Government leaves me with little choice other than to pass the price on to customers if duty is hiked again. We’ve absorbed shock after shock, from packaging increases to rising energy bills.

“Across the country pubs are feeling the squeeze – an unpredictable duty system is a constant worry that impacts our margins.”

She warned the Government against discouraging people from going out and celebrating this Christmas.

“We can’t afford not to pass on the cost, but working people can’t afford to take this on either,” she said.

The UKSA claims spirits now account for a third of all alcohol sold in pubs, bars and restaurants.

It warns of fears three in ten pubs – the equivalent of 11,000 venues – may not survive another year if costs increase.

The Treasury has been invited to comment.