Having crippled us with increased operating costs - wage rises, national insurance increases and business rates relief cuts - they seem hell bent on rubbing our noses in it as well.
Recently, ministers sat down with trade leaders to discuss the burning issues of licensing hours - apparently looking at ways to make it easier for pubs to stay open later - because, apparently, this is the key to all our problems.
And this weekend, as was splashed all over the media, Sir Keir Starmer has announced that pubs will benefit from an extra hour or two of opening hours to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Forced to cut hours
Yes, those lucky, lucky pubs will be able to stay open not till 12am, but to 1am on VE Day, a Thursday, to serve all those customers that will be packing in the pubs to cheer on the liberation of Europe 80 years ago, before heading to work the next day with heavy heads.
The reality of the situation, one that our Government seems determined to ignore, is that pubs are being forced to cut hours, not extend them.
The increased costs imposed by the Budget has forced operators to reduce staffing levels and cut opening hours. The idea of being able to stay open longer is a bit like offering a drowning man a drink of water.
And that’s before we recognise the realities of consumer behaviour at the moment - most pubs, during the week and even on weekends, are like ghost ships after 9pm. Customers are going out earlier and heading home earlier.
Inflated staff costs
The late-night sessions are becoming a thing of the past.
So the Government solution to fix the challenges facing the pub sector is to enable us to open longer, incurring inflated staff costs to pay for team members to serve customers that won’t be there.
If that’s not top trolling by the Government, I don’t know what is.
I’m beginning to wonder if Sir Keir Starmer’s last job was head of deckchair re-organisation on the Titanic.
