Full English breakfast at risk from rising prices under Labour, says MP

Sir Keir Starmer’s Government poses a threat to the full English breakfast, the Commons has heard, with the price of eggs, bacon and sausages up under Labour.

Conservative MP Mark Pritchard said the Government would not be forgiven for taking the British staple away from the UK’s high streets.

It came as the Tories called for the abolition of business rates for thousands of retail, hospitality and leisure premises on the high street, during an opposition day debate.

Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith told the Commons: “We understand that businesses take risks, create wealth and employ millions.

“That’s why we introduced business rates relief before this Labour Government cut it, and it is why we will introduce a 100% rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, taking 250,000 high street premises out of business rates entirely.”

Businesses have sounded the alarm over rising costs in recent months, with some smaller firms facing closure because of surging energy bills, higher employment costs and business rates, the Conservatives said.

Intervening, Mr Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, said: “Cafes play an important part on the high street, bringing people in.

“Under this Government, mushrooms are up, bacon is up, eggs are up, sausages are up, bread is up, tea is up, milk is up, and therein is a threat to the full English breakfast.

“And there are many things that this Government might be forgiven for, but taking away the full English breakfast from the high street is not one of them.”

Mr Griffith replied: “I enjoy a full English as much as I suspect my colleague does.

“And it’s not just breakfast – it’s lunch, it’s supper, it’s tea, it’s dinner, and it’s the great British pub. All of whom are under threat.”

Communities minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said ministers “absolutely understand the pressure that businesses are under”.

“That pressure did not happen overnight, they are the consequence of 14 years where we have not seen productivity growth. They are the consequence of 14 years where the economy hasn’t grown,” she said.

“Now we understand the economic reality, and we are taking action to respond to that economic reality.”

Ms Fahnbulleh added that it was “disingenuous” of the Conservatives to pretend they had not left the economy “decimated”.

Sarah Olney, the Liberal Democrats’ business spokeswoman, called for “far more urgency” on cutting energy bills to help the high street, including by breaking “the link between gas and electricity prices”.

She added: “We call for bolder, more ambitious and fairer measures to replace business rates with a fair new system that can boost high streets and town centres (and) to negotiate a new customs union with the EU, which would cut red tape for small businesses and supercharge our economy as a whole.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson signalled that some high street businesses would be paying less in business rates following the Budget later this month.

Speaking at Treasury questions, Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart (Hazel Grove) said: “Recent research by the British Retail Consortium and UK Hospitality has shown that 120,000 high street jobs are potentially at risk as a result of proposed changes to business rates next April.

“Could the Chancellor and ministers confirm that the forthcoming Budget will support my 250 local retail businesses through a meaningful reduction in rates and ensure that no shop pays more?”

Mr Tomlinson said: “We will be introducing permanently lower rates for those businesses in the Budget.”

A Conservative motion to abolish business rates for high street premises was rejected by 106 to 321, majority 215.