Oral Answers to Questions

Matt Vickers Excerpts

Tuesday 9th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Reeves]

My hon. Friend will know that when I was at secondary school, my school library was turned into a classroom because there were more students than there was space. We have put £10 million into primary schools to get a library in every single primary school in this Parliament, and next year, to celebrate the national year of reading, we are putting £5 million into having more books at secondary schools, and I am really proud to be doing that.

[Matt Vickers (Stockton West) (Con)]

T3. Since this Government came to office, 110,000 jobs have been lost in the hospitality sector and eight pubs are closing every week, but the Chancellor has made it worse. Jonathan at The Devonport has told me that his business rates are set to treble. Does the Chancellor realise that her Budget will cost people their jobs, landlords their businesses and communities their pubs?

[The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Dan Tomlinson)]

Let us be clear: nobody’s business rate bills are trebling. If businesses come to talk to us about increases in their rateable values because of the unwinding of the effect of the pandemic, it is important that all of us, on both sides of the House, are clear that the Government have put in support to ensure that pubs and those that have seen their values go up will not see increases next year. If the pubs rateable value is more than £100,000, they will be capped at a 30% increase. If it is less, they will be capped at 15% or £800. That is £4 billion of support that this Government are providing.