Pub owners 'welcome' rumoured VAT U-turn, Tom Kerridge tells LBC days after viral interview
The chef, who owns four separate gastropubs in England, thanked LBC for listening and sharing the story
Michelin star restaurateur Tom Kerridge has told LBC that the pub industry will "welcome" a suggested Government U-turn on increased business rates.
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It comes after LBC earlier revealed Rachel Reeves was considering U-turning on her controversial business rates raid which more than doubled the bills for some pubs.
On Monday, Mr Kerridge joined Tom Swarbrick on Drive where he revealed the rates on his 'Coach' restaurant had risen from £50,500 to £106,000, which had been calculated by Business Secretary Peter Kyle during a meeting between the pair.
The interview went viral and piled mounting pressure on the Government to rethink its revaluation on taxes announced in the Budget in November.
Read more: Ministers face calls to expand business rate relief beyond pubs as U-turn looms
Appearing back on Thursday's Drive show with Tom, Mr Kerridge said: "I am fully appreciative of the Government for listening.
"To be fair it was Peter Kyle's conversation in the first place where he presented my business rates to me. He showed me what I would be paying which meant they were looking at it in Westminster.
"It meant they were beginning to understand and possibly try and undo the wrongs that they put in place from that Budget.
"There is always going to be some sort of fighting behind Westminster walls between the treasury and every other department where the business and trade are trying to push and get things right.
"I think that interview [with you] was the beginning and I thank LBC and yourself for that support which made a lot of noise and was picked up in lots of other areas in the press.
"Although we still don't know yet what it is they're proposing, the fact it's making news that there might be a U-turn in some way - we welcome that."
But while the chef added that the industry is grateful for the suggested changes, he said the U-turn "won't make it any worse, but it doesn't make it any better."
He told Tom that the industry is still seeking a "VAT push" down from 20 per cent to 13 per cent, to allow "businesses to operate and reinvest."
‘We still don’t know what they’re proposing.’
— LBC (@LBC) January 8, 2026
Chef Tom Kerridge thanks @TomSwarbrick1 and LBC for covering the impact of business rates on pubs, but still doesn’t know what support the government will offer as it prepares to U-turn. pic.twitter.com/QUsz47r6a3
He said: "When we came back from Covid and it was between ten and 15 per cent, that's when business could operate at a level that worked.
"There were areas for growth. A reduction in VAT allows for businesses to just operate. Landlords won't be taking ten per cent more profit but they will be able to reinvest."
It was revealed yesterday that pub bosses are considering marching on Whitehall to demand the Government reversed the plans to hike business rates.
When asked if he backed the action, Mr Kerridge told Tom: "I'm always supportive of the rights of free speech and some form of noise making an cage rattling in a really polite and peaceful way.
"I am fully supportive of whoever it is of being able to voice an opinion. If there is a door that has slighty being pushed ajar to listen to hospitality voices, it would be great to open that door further."