Burnham told to deliver 10 per cent hospitality VAT after backing tax cut Politics More than 800 hospitality businesses have called on Andy Burnham to make good on his support for lower VAT, piling pressure on the prime minister ahead of next month’s Budget. Pub giants, restaurant chains, hotels and some of Britain’s best-known chefs have signed an open letter demanding the government cut hospitality VAT from 20 per [...]
How Fevertree is taking on tap water to woo Gen-Z Hospitality The world’s biggest ginger beer producer is waging war on tap water. Fevertree, best known for its premium tonics, is urging customers to see its products as standalone soft drinks, rather than as mixers for the harder stuff. “Tap water is not a very appealing, aspirational alternative” to alcohol, says the drinks maker’s chief executive, [...]
Burnham eyes youth minimum wage rethink as jobs crisis bites Business Andy Burnham’s government is considering slowing planned minimum wage rises for young workers amid concerns that higher employment costs are making businesses more reluctant to hire them. Downing Street and the Treasury are examining whether the rapid increase in wages for under-21s has contributed to Britain’s youth jobs crisis, Bloomberg first reported, as ministers prepare [...]
Wetherspoon boss: ‘Not up to Burnham’ to choose who is on the high street September 11, 2026 Britain’s pubs have few more committed defenders than Sir Tim Martin. The Norwich-born businessman founded JD Wetherspoon in 1979 when he bought his first pub in Muswell Hill, initially named Martin’s Free House. Since rebranding the pub to Wetherspoon – named after a former teacher of Martin’s who could not control his class – it [...]
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin attacks government’s ‘unfriendly’ attitude to business September 11, 2026 Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has said he is “very concerned” by the wealth exodus gripping the UK as he hit out at Labour’s “unfriendly” attitude towards entrepreneurs. The pub tycoon said it is “madness” to blame the number of ultra-rich businesspeople leaving the country on anything other than the business conditions created by the government. [...]
Hospitality sector blasts Burnham’s uncapped tourist tax September 10, 2026 The hospitality sector has blasted proposals from Andy Burnham’s government to introduce a fresh tax on tourists. The industry has been left reeling after the government confirmed a new overnight levy on tourists that will have no upper cap. Regional authorities are set to be handed the power to introduce a levy to support regional [...]
Giving Neets jobs in hospitality would generate £2.3bn, Hilton claims September 9, 2026 Hilton has urged the government to encourage unemployed young people into hospitality, claiming that filling all the industry’s vacancies would add £2.3bn to the economy. The hotel group, in collaboration with trade body UK Hospitality (UKH), has urged Andy Burnham to lower taxes on hospitality firms to give them the breathing space to take a [...]
Itsu blames inflation and Labour tax hikes as rising costs bite September 9, 2026 Itsu has posted its third consecutive annual loss as the Asian food-to-to chain blamed surging inflation and Labour hikes to employment taxes for its rising costs. The edamame eatery, founded by the grab-and-go tycoon behind Pret a Manger, said the UK’s fast food industry is suffering from fragile consumer confidence and a rising tax burden. [...]
‘Vertical drinking’ row rumbles on in Westminster September 8, 2026 Sadiq Khan has hit out at the “breathtaking arrogance” of Westminster council, accusing the authority of ignoring public and industry opposition to its reported plans to crack down on so-called vertical drinking in the borough. The mayor of London has slammed the council for pushing ahead with its new licensing policy, which also imposes restrictions [...]
‘King of Mayfair’ Richard Caring hits out at ‘lacklustre’ economy September 7, 2026 Richard Caring, dubbed the ‘King of Mayfair’, has blamed the UK’s “lacklustre” economy for falling sales at his luxury restaurant group. The hospitality tycoon’s Caprice Holdings reported a four per cent dip in revenue to £90.5m in the year to January, which it blamed on rising employment costs and US tariffs. Caring’s hospitality group includes [...]