Contributions
715 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureColleagues will have heard what the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have said on this matter in recent days. I will not add further comments on the specifics in responding to…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureIt was the word “dragged” that I had some objection to. I did not mean to comment on your decision to grant the urgent question, Mr Speaker. Let me answer some of the questions…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureI thank my hon. Friend for her leadership of the Treasury Committee. At the Budget, we set out the first significant fundamental reform of the business rates system that we have…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureOn the point about 20p versus 5p, we legislated for a reduction in the multiplier of up to 20p for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, but that did not set an expectation…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureAt the Budget, we published further updates on our broader work to transform the business rates system. There are things that we want to look at—for example, a switch from a slab…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureIt is important to be clear that no pub will see their business rates bill go up by three times this year. [ Interruption. ] No, it is simply not the case. It is true that some…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureHospitality businesses are the cornerstone of our communities, providing life and vibrancy to high streets up and down the country. The Government are committed to continuing to…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureThe changes at the Budget led to a reduction in the tax rate paid by businesses on the high street. That was a result of the reforms that this Government have brought in. We have…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureI am grateful to my hon. Friend for making the important point that the last Government had no plans to continue to extend the pandemic support. As for his other question, I will…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureAs I have said, the Government were aware that a revaluation was taking place. That revaluation, which was initiated by the last Government, took account of property values in…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureI do not know what the current Government position is on whether pubs are allowed to sell takeaway pints, but I hope that would be allowed in Shropshire if I were to visit.…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureYork high street, in my hon. Friend’s constituency, is a beautiful and wonderful place where there are many fantastic businesses. I worked there for a time. I know that Members in…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureI hope that when the hon. Member was conversing with businesses in his constituency, he explained that this year, if a pub has a rateable value of less than £100,000, the policy…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureWhen I am up at the Labour party conference, I like to enjoy the pubs and hospitality available in Liverpool. It is a fantastic and vibrant city, and I know that the…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureOne of the things that the Government are doing to support businesses up and down the country is bringing back economic stability. Under this Government, interest rates have been…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureI was not sure what the hon. Member was referring to when he said there was a “shambolic, chaotic furore”, but it was probably his own party, which would not be able to run…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureI thank my hon. Friend for his engagement on this important issue, and for the work that he does on the all-party parliamentary group for hospitality and tourism. Yes, the…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureI strongly agree with my hon. Friend that pubs are important anchor institutions. I know that she cares deeply about the businesses in her constituency, and she is a strong…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureI totally agree with my hon. Friend that we need to avoid the situation we saw for 14 years, when 7,000 pubs closed under the Conservatives, with about 4,000 closing in the first…19 Jan 2026HANSARDBusiness Rates: Retail, Hospitality and LeisureI thank the hon. Member for giving me a chance to talk about the Prince of Wales in my constituency, a fantastic pub that I am glad I and colleagues in Barnet council were able to…19 Jan 2026