Pub campaign group founded by King accuses Rachel Reeves of damaging hospitality

'Pub is the Hub' spoke of "eye-watering increases" in the taxes and accused the Chancellor of breaking her manifesto promises set out before Labour's 2024 win.

The group, which was established in 2001 to save pubs at risk of shutting, is one of seven organisations warning that the tax rises could wreck the industry.

The letter also claims that the sector overpays its share of business rates relative to turnover compared to other businesses.

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The King set it up as a non-profit organisation because he was concerned about the loss of rural pubs in communities up and down the country.

In the Budget last month, Ms Reeves announced she would scrap business rates relief for the hospitality sector over the next three years.

In its letter, the group says this caused "real anger among publicans and pub businesses across England who, understandably, feel badly let down," The Telegraph reports.

King Charles has made frequent visits to pubs that have been helped by the scheme, and has spoken of "unprecedented challenges" while describing the pubs as having a "huge potential to act as one-stop shops."

The King does not play any active role in running the organisation or in deciding on its political positions.

Andrew Slee, chief executive of the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates, who also signed the letter, said: "Labour committed to levelling the playing field, but I have been trying to make sense of what happened in the Budget since the full horror of it emerged.

"It is such catastrophically bad policy that I can only think it was a mistake. No one could have looked at this and thought 'this makes sense, so we'll go with it.'

"It is madness."