Licensee of the Shoulder of Mutton in Little Horwood, Lewis Huntington, told The Morning Advertiser (The MA) Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited his pub four days before the general election in 2024, “waxing lyrical” about the value of village pubs.
Since the Prime Minister’s visit, the 60-year-old operator, who has been at the helm of the 650-year-old wet-led pub for the past six years, said the Government’s rhetoric “has not materialised” into meaningful support for the sector.
“I knew whatever came out of their mouth was going to be rubbish. But the complete lack of understanding of business and how the economy works has been breath-taking.
“I come from a working-class background and traditionally supported the Labour Party, but they don’t represent working class people anymore.
Reduced opportunities
“They have forgotten about working people and have absolutely no [idea] how businesses work”, he told The MA.
While Huntington praised his local minister, Callum Anderson, Labour MP for Buckingham and Bletchley, he lamented the general lack of clarity on business rates reformation following the recent Budget and the impact of wage and national insurance hikes.
“National Insurance has been a real crippler”, he said.
“All it’s going to do is increase the lack of work and opportunity for people to work in pubs.”
Huntington, who worked in construction before taking on the pub, added this would be particularly impactful for younger people, who often find their first job in hospitality.
“We just keep getting stabbed in the back. Last year’s Budget was an absolute disaster for our industry…this year’s was no different. There is a chronic lack of understanding [in Government] on the difference between profit and turnover.
Enviable tradition
“They just haven’t got a clue…without making a profit, we don’t employ people”, the operator continued.
Huntington also stressed the importance of pubs in communities like Little Horwood, where the Shoulder of Mutton is the only licensed venue and serves as a social hub, fostering local connections and supporting the mental health of many in rural areas.
As well as the societal benefit of pubs, Huntingdon further highlighted the value of licensed outlets for supporting the Government’s health agenda, explaining customers do not have controlled measures at home if they buy alcohol in supermarket, which pay significantly less VAT than pubs.
He urged the Government to recognise the value of pubs before it is too late: “I didn’t realise the importance of pubs until I actually started running one; it’s been quite an eye opener really.
“Most people who come to England, the first thing they want to do is go to a pub, and we just seem to be destroying them in a generation… we’re going to lose a tradition the rest of the world envies and we’re going to lose it in one generation because of Government policy.”
