Reeves’ pubs U-turn: how business rates sparked a revolt, and why ministers are now under fire

15 January 2026

Paul Francis

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Rachel Reeves is preparing a U-turn on business rates for pubs after an unusually public backlash from landlords, trade bodies, and even some Labour MPs. In recent days, pubs across the country have reportedly refused service to, or outright barred, Labour MPs in protest, turning a technical tax change into a political flashpoint about competence, consultation, and whether the government understood its own numbers.

Two pints of frothy beer on a wooden ledge, reflecting on a window. Warm, dim lighting creates a cozy atmosphere.

The row centres on business rates, the property-based tax paid on most non-domestic premises. For pubs, it is often one of the highest fixed costs after staffing and energy. And while the government has argued its reforms were meant to make the system fairer for high street businesses, many publicans say the real world impact is the opposite: higher bills arriving at the same time as wage costs and other overheads are already rising.

What changed and why pubs reacted so fiercely

The immediate trigger was the November Budget package, which set out changes tied to the 2026 business rates revaluation and the planned move away from pandemic era relief. As the details landed, hospitality groups warned that many pubs would be hit by sharp rises because their rateable values, the Valuation Office Agency’s estimate of a property’s annual rental value, had increased significantly at revaluation.

A Reuters report published on 8 January 2026 described the government preparing measures to “soften the impact” of the planned hike after industry warnings that closures would follow. It also noted trade body concerns about elevated rateable values and warned that thousands of smaller pubs could face a bill for the first time.

The anger quickly became visible. ITV News reported on pub owners in Dorset who began banning Labour MPs after the Budget, with the campaign spreading as other pubs joined in. LabourList also reported that more than 1,000 pubs had banned Labour MPs from their premises in protest. Sky News similarly reported that pubs had been banning Labour MPs over the rises due to begin in April.

How business rates are actually calculated, with pub-friendly examples

Business rates can sound opaque, but the calculation is straightforward in principle:

Business rates bill = Rateable value x Multiplier, minus any reliefs

Where it became combustible for pubs is that multiple moving parts changed at once: revaluation shifted rateable values, multipliers were adjusted for different sectors, and pandemic era relief was being reduced or removed.

The government’s own Budget factsheet includes worked examples that show why bills can jump even when headline multipliers look lower.

Example 1: a pub whose rateable value rises modestly: In 2025/26, a pub with a £30,000 rateable value used a multiplier of 49.9p and then deducted 40% retail, hospitality and leisure relief. The factsheet sets out the steps: £30,000 x 0.499 = £14,970, then 40% relief reduces that to a final bill of £8,982. After revaluation, the rateable value rises to £39,000. The pub qualifies for a lower small business multiplier of 38.2p, so before reliefs: £39,000 x 0.382 = £14,898. Transitional support caps the increase, resulting in a final bill of £10,329.

Even here, the bill rises. The cap stops it from rising as sharply as it otherwise would, but it still climbs.

Example 2: a pub whose rateable value more than doubles: In the most politically explosive scenario, the factsheet describes a pub whose rateable value rises from £50,000 to £110,000 at revaluation. In 2025/26, the bill is calculated as £50,000 x 0.499 = £24,950, then reduced by 40% relief to £14,970. In 2026/27, before any relief, the bill would be £110,000 x 0.43 = £47,300. Transitional support then caps the increase, producing a final bill of £19,461.

That is still a meaningful jump in a single year, even with protections. For pubs operating on thin margins, that scale of increase can mean the difference between staying open and closing.

This is why so many publicans argue that the political messaging did not match the lived reality. They were told reforms would support the high street, then saw calculations that delivered higher costs.

What Reeves is now doing to correct it

The government has not published the full final package yet, but multiple reports describe a targeted climbdown.

Reuters reported that a support package would be outlined in the coming days and that it would include measures addressing business rates, alongside licensing and deregulation. LabourList reported that Treasury officials were expected to reduce the percentage of a pub’s rateable value used to calculate business rates and introduce a transitional relief fund. The Independent reported ministers briefing that Reeves was expected to extend some form of relief rather than scrap support entirely from April, after pressure from Labour MPs and the sector.

In practical terms, “softening” the rise can be done in a few ways:

Increasing or extending pub-specific relief so bills do not jump as sharply in April 2026
Adjusting the multiplier applied to pubs within the retail, hospitality and leisure category
Strengthening transitional relief so the cap on year to year increases is tighter
Supplementary measures like licensing changes, to reduce other cost pressures

The direction of travel is clear: the Treasury is trying to stop the revaluation shock from landing all at once on pubs.

The critics’ argument: ministers did not do their homework

The most damaging strand of this story is not the U turn itself, but the allegation that ministers did not understand the impact at the point of announcement.

Sky News has reported internal disquiet about the business rates increase, reflecting wider unease about the political cost of the policy. ITV has also reported pub owners arguing that the “devil is in the detail,” a polite way of saying the announcement did not match the numbers that followed.

Most seriously, reporting summarised from The Times states that Business Secretary Peter Kyle acknowledged ministers did not have key details about the revaluation’s effects on hospitality at the time of the November Budget, and that the property specific revaluations created an unexpected burden for some pubs.

That admission fuels the criticism that this was not simply a policy misfire, but a failure of preparation. The core accusation from critics is straightforward: if the government is reshaping a tax system built on property values, then the people in charge should have had a clear grasp of what the valuation changes would do to real businesses. If they did not, they were not doing the job properly.

Even if ministers argue the valuation process is independent, the political reality is that pubs heard one message, then saw another outcome. The result has been a crisis of trust that a late rescue package may soften, but not erase.

What this episode tells us about tax policy and trust

Pubs are not just businesses. They are community anchors and cultural institutions, which is why this backlash travelled so quickly from accountancy jargon to front-page politics.

Reeves’ U turn may yet prevent the worst outcomes for some pubs. But the episode has exposed a deeper vulnerability: when the government announces complex reforms without convincing evidence, it understands the knock on effects, and the backlash is not only economic. It becomes personal, symbolic, and politically contagious.

If the Treasury wants to draw a line under this, it will need to do more than patch the numbers. It will need to convince the public and the businesses affected that decisions are being made with full visibility of the consequences, not discovered after the revolt begins.

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What Happens to Your Data When You Die?

Paul Francis
Jul 22, 2025
4 min read

We spend years building our online lives. But what happens to all that data when we die?

From photo albums stored in the cloud to emails, passwords and social media profiles, our digital presence often continues long after we’ve gone. While most of us make plans for our possessions and property, few consider what should happen to our online accounts.

And yet, in an age where identity is as much virtual as it is physical, the question is becoming harder to ignore.

Digital woman with glowing blue lines on her face, set against a blurred background. The mood is futuristic and serene.

A digital footprint that doesn't fade

According to a 2023 report by NordPass, the average internet user now has over 100 online accounts. These include everything from banking apps and cloud storage to dating profiles, shopping sites, and social media platforms.

Many of these accounts hold personal information, private conversations, or payment details. In some cases, they contain cherished memories, such as photos, voice notes or videos. But once someone dies, accessing these accounts can be far from straightforward.

In many cases, family members find themselves locked out, unsure of what data is stored, how to retrieve it, or whether they are even legally allowed to.

What the big platforms say

Some tech companies have introduced tools to help users manage their digital legacy.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, allows users to nominate a "legacy contact". This is someone who can look after a memorialised profile, add tribute posts and update the cover photo. However, they cannot log in as the user or read private messages. If no legacy contact is set, family members can request the account be deleted or turned into a memorial page, but they will need to provide proof of death.

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Google offers an “Inactive Account Manager”, which lets users choose what happens if they stop using their account for a set period of time. They can select up to ten trusted contacts who will be notified, and decide whether their emails, documents and photos are shared or deleted.

Apple, meanwhile, introduced a Digital Legacy feature in iOS 15.2, which allows people to designate up to five individuals who can access their iCloud data after death. However, they will still need a copy of the death certificate and an access key to unlock the account.

Not all platforms offer such options. For smaller services, or accounts that are not covered by legacy tools, the process can be time-consuming and inconsistent.

What the law says

In the UK, digital assets are not yet clearly defined in law. According to the Law Society, there is no legal requirement to include digital possessions in a will, but doing so is strongly advised.

Some items, such as cryptocurrency wallets or digital art, are considered property and can be passed on. Others, like email accounts or social media profiles, are often treated as licences that expire on death. This can make it harder for families to retrieve content or gain access.

Different companies also have different terms of service. In some cases, accounts are considered non-transferable. In others, they can be managed by an executor if proper documentation is provided.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recommends that people plan ahead and consider how their personal data will be handled in the event of death. But there is currently no single UK law that governs digital inheritance, and calls for reform are growing.

Enter the digital will

To avoid confusion, experts are increasingly advising people to create a digital will. This can be a standalone document or part of a traditional will, and should include a list of key accounts, where to find them, and who should have access.

Password managers like LastPass and 1Password offer emergency access features that allow trusted contacts to retrieve information if needed. It is also possible to store login details securely with a solicitor or notary.

“Leaving behind an up-to-date digital will can save loved ones a great deal of stress,” says Nicola Plant, a private client solicitor at Thomson Snell & Passmore. “It ensures that your wishes are clear and your accounts are dealt with appropriately.”

Digital wills are especially important for business owners, influencers, and people who hold assets online. However, they are becoming more common among the general public, particularly among those who store family photos, creative work or important correspondence in the cloud.

Ethical dilemmas

Beyond the legal and practical challenges, there are also ethical questions to consider.

Should companies be allowed to use someone’s data for marketing purposes after they die? Should AI chatbots be trained on personal messages or voice recordings? And who gets the final say over how someone is remembered online?

A wooden gavel on a table beside a smartphone symbolizes technology and law. The setting is simple, with a focus on the objects.

In 2020, Microsoft filed a patent for technology that could create a chatbot based on a person’s digital history. Although it was never released, it sparked debate over whether we are heading towards digital reincarnation.

For some, the idea of a digital memorial is comforting. For others, it raises concerns about consent, privacy and the risk of exploitation.

What you can do now

Preparing for your digital afterlife does not have to be complicated. Experts recommend the following steps:

Keep a secure list of your major accounts and passwords, and store it safely.
Use built-in legacy features on platforms like Facebook, Google and Apple.
Name a digital executor in your will, if possible.
Speak to your family or solicitor about your wishes.

It might not be a conversation many of us are keen to have, but as our lives become increasingly digital, planning ahead is one way to make life easier for those we leave behind.

After all, your digital footprint could become part of your legacy.

Whether you want to be remembered through a carefully managed memorial page or prefer to vanish into the data void, the decision is best made while you’re still around to make it.