From boardrooms to bar stools
And so to pubs. Pubs sit at the sharp end of all of this. They are hyperlocal, licence-dependent, labour-intensive and acutely sensitive to footfall. They also carry cultural weight in a way warehouses and offices do not.
Big pub companies have mostly stuck to the old script. Keep neutral. Don’t antagonise. Don’t take positions. Let the trade bodies handle it.
Smaller independents behave differently. They have less to lose, or at least, less illusion about what they can lose. They tend to speak up only when things are already close to the edge. Which is why, when you see pubs publicly barring MPs or putting up political signs, it is usually a sign of desperation, not ideology.
By courting controversy, Wetherspoons gained popularity
This is not new. Wetherspoons famously broke ranks during the Brexit debate. Tim Martin distributed Leave material in his pubs, much to the irritation of some staff and many commentators. He was criticised for politicising hospitality.
Yet here is the irony. By never chasing popularity, Wetherspoons gained it. It remains mocked on social media by people who nonetheless “pop in” for a cheap pint and a decent meal. Consistency, even when unpopular, builds credibility.
Why silence no longer works
The idea that staying quiet protects business is outdated.
Policies are now too sweeping. Clean Air Zones, traffic filters, licensing restrictions, planning rules, late-night levies, public space protection orders. These are not minor regulatory tweaks. They reshape how cities function.
If business does not challenge them early, it is complicit in the outcome.
And silence does not buy safety. Councillors who are determined to impose “nutty traffic schemes” will not reward quiet compliance. They will simply move on to the next idea, emboldened by the lack of resistance.
A West Midlands reality check
The West Midlands is full of capable businesses, sensible operators and grounded managers who understand how cities actually work. Yet their collective voice is strangely absent when policies are being pushed that make it harder for motorists to drive around their own city, harder for customers to reach venues and harder for staff to get to work.
This vacuum is then filled by ideology.
Councillors convince themselves they are leading opinion when, in fact, they are operating in an echo chamber. They mistake silence for consent.
Time to speak before the shutters fall
This is not an argument for partisanship. It is an argument for backbone.
Corporations are allowed to have views. Hospitality is allowed to defend itself. Trade bodies are supposed to earn their subscriptions.
If pubs can no longer afford to stay open, if footfall continues to fall, if councils continue to regulate without consequence, then perhaps the question should be turned around.
Instead of asking why pubs might ban MPs, perhaps we should ask why MPs and councillors have made themselves unwelcome in the first place.
Because one thing is certain. Staying quiet has not worked. And the bill for that silence is already being paid.
