Pubs are part of our national identity – so why is Sir Keir Starmer trying to destroy them with nanny state nonsense?

PUBS are part of our national ­identity. That’s why I run my ­surgeries from them for my ­constituents in ­Ashfield, Notts.

It’s why after the election I said I will keep listening to what people say in pubs and take that back to Westminster, because these hubs are the heartbeat of my community and the best place to ­understand what the people of Ashfield want from their politicians.

After only a few months in power it’s clear Labour don’t understand the public or their priorities.

Keir Starmer was right to promise change, and he has delivered it — but sadly, unless you’re a member of the ­Cabinet, it’s a change for the worse.

Removing the Winter Fuel Payment from millions of pensioners, releasing criminals from prison early and feathering their own nests have revealed where Labour’s priorities lie.

True colours

We now live in a two-tier society, where the Prime Minister, who is paid £166,786, is very happy to distribute the taxpayers’ income, just not his own.

From accepting free tickets to watch top-flight football to receiving donations for his wife’s outfits, Free Gear Keir has quickly shown his true colours.

Starmer’s response has been as half-baked as his policies, paying back £6,000 of the freebies but keeping the rest.

He should give it all back. Britain deserves better.

Starmer’s approval ratings are now below those of Tory leader Rishi Sunak.

The Prime Minister has chosen to take the worst elements of the previous administration, including the failed generational smoking ban, and harden them — to the detriment of the hospitality industry.

Fifty pubs a month closed for good across England and Wales in the first half of this year.

 At the same time, our smoking rates are at their lowest levels on record and are much lower than the rest of Europe.

So why is our PM planning to ban smoking in pub gardens?

Starmer’s ­puritan Labour Party is on the march, intent on banning any behaviour they disagree with until we are all ­malnourished vegans.

Nobody voted for this, nobody wants to see more restrictions on the hospitality sector, and nobody wants their local pub to close.

This policy will be the final nail in the coffin for many pubs, which have been desperately struggling to recover since the Covid lockdowns.

Taxes on tobacco are so high that the UK already has a booming illicit tobacco market, with data revealing that 80 per cent of UK smokers have bought illegal tobacco in the past year.

My party, Reform, will vote against the Tobacco And Vapes Bill.

We know the importance of protecting the pubs that serve as the backbone of communities up and down the country.

Labour also plans to press ahead with the generational smoking ban, and claims it will save the country money and reduce pressure on the NHS. I don’t see how.

Taxes on tobacco are so high that the UK already has a booming illicit tobacco market, with data revealing that 80 per cent of UK smokers have bought illegal tobacco in the past year.

The illicit and non-duty-paid tobacco sector has become the third biggest sales channel in the UK. All of that is lost ­revenue to the Treasury.

We are approaching the Budget. Any further tax increases on tobacco will only drive more people to the black market.

If Labour really are the guardians of ­fiscal responsibility they paint themselves as, they will look at the facts and pursue a smoking policy based on real evidence.

Over the past year, the overall tax on machine-rolled cigarettes has increased by 21 per cent, and this has driven Brits to purchase cheaper, and often more harmful, illicit cigarettes.

In a cost-of-living crisis, those taxes hit hardest the poorest communities that ­Labour are ­supposed to represent.

They also cut Treasury revenues, which were £2.6billion lower in 2023 than the Office For Budget Responsibility forecast.

And it gets worse. Increases to excise may also have added 0.1 per cent to ­inflation, leading to an additional £1.5billion in government spending on ­inflation-linked things such as benefits and pensions.

Needlessly intervening

At a time when Labour continuously warns us about a £22billion black hole in the public finances, that is a whopping £4billion in missed revenue and government spending which we cannot afford to lose.

If Starmer really does care about the economy more than ideology, he should stop wasting taxpayers’ money on nanny state vanity projects that offer no proven route to success.

They may have been in power for only three months, but the British public has had enough of the current government.

New polling data has revealed that if a General Election were held today, Labour’s majority would have decreased by 64 seats.

The people of Britain want their country back.

They are sick of government needlessly intervening in their lives.

We at Reform will stand up for your liberties, end nanny-statism and allow you to make up your own mind regarding how you live your life.

Perhaps the Prime Minister and his Cabinet would understand these issues better if they spent less time quaffing champagne in fancy corporate boxes and more time down the pub talking to voters.