Retail and Hospitality Sector

Lord Rook Excerpts

Thursday 22nd January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rook (Lab)]

My Lords, it is a great honour to welcome my new and noble friend Lady Shah to her place in your Lordships’ House, and it is a joy to congratulate her on a beautiful maiden speech. Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of my own introduction, and over the past year I have sometimes wondered exactly what I contribute to this place. Reflecting on my noble friend’s life and leadership, it is abundantly clear that she offers a huge amount to this Chamber and this community.

My noble friend’s experience in education will greatly enrich our work in helping to shape legislation that helps children to flourish and thrive in the future. Her contribution to grass-roots politics and community life in Brent will deepen our understanding of what it takes to build stronger and more united communities at a time of growing division. Her distinguished service in local government will offer invaluable insight into how central and local government can collaborate more effectively and creatively. Her vision for the arts and creative industries will challenge us all to forge a future for our country as a creative superpower.

Last but by no means least, as someone who spends a great deal of his time welcoming people of faith to this House, I am delighted to welcome my noble friend Lady Shah as the first parliamentarian from the Jain community in this country. Her presence here is a source of great pride to that community and an answer to its prayers.

As I reflect on my own first year, it is the moments of humanity and humility displayed by your Lordships that have made the greatest impression on me: when adversity is met with honesty, when courage meets crisis, and when sometimes the harder aspects of human experience have shaped the terms and tone of our deliberations. It is clear from my noble friend’s speech that she brings all those qualities in abundance. She spoke movingly and bravely about her late husband, Richard, and her presence here honours his legacy. To her daughter, Emily, we say: “You should be very proud of your mum—and also don’t worry, we don’t sit at weekends, so the newly ennobled Baroness Shah will continue to act as your chauffeur and personal assistant, getting you to all your dance lessons on Saturdays”.

In commending my noble friend Lady Shah to me this week, a noble Minister said simply, “She is so lovely. She has so many friends”. In this House, it is our convention to use the term “friend” to describe those in our own party. Despite this, I have no doubt that my noble friend Lady Shah will make many great friends across this House in the years to come. To that end, I welcome her as our new and noble friend.

To turn to today’s debate, I commend the Government’s recent support for pubs. This may be somewhat surprising, as I speak as a lifelong teetotaller. I was brought up in the Salvation Army and my only taste of alcohol so far has been the occasional sip of communion wine, the occasional cheeky portion of sherry trifle, and an occasion when my drink was spiked with ouzo on holiday in Greece. Despite remaining abstemious, which is even more surprising as I am now an Anglican, I recognise the importance of what the Government have done, economically and socially, to support pubs.

In the Budget, the Chancellor took decisive action to support pubs. She recognised the contribution that they make to our economy and our community. Treasury analysis suggested that pubs might face 45% increases in costs in the next year. As a result of the action by the Chancellor, that increase is probably reduced to around 5%. That is not marginal; that is the difference between survival and the ability to plan and invest.

Pubs are good not just for business and our economy but for our community and society, as has been picked up in this debate already. Research by Pub is The Hub, a non-profit organisation, demonstrated the critical role that pubs play, fostering community cohesion, social interaction and resilience. Research outlines additional services, both economic and social, provided by our public houses. Measuring social return on investment shows that every £1 invested in services and activities delivered through a local pub generates more than £8 of social value to the community in return. Our pubs provide places where people gather—they belong, they are known—and they reduce loneliness and isolation. In many rural and deprived areas, they provide a hub for services that may otherwise have disappeared. They contribute to individual well-being and community resilience in ways that are hard to replicate elsewhere.

For these reasons, it is possible for this lifelong teetotal noble Lord to raise a glass to our public houses, even if it contains only lemonade and lime. What is more, I say cheers to the Government for the support provided to the hospitality sector for the good of our economy and the good of our community.