Our Parliamentary Reception ahead of the Budget 2026

Engagement with MPs is vital to ensure that hospitality is championed across the UK at the Budget.

For more information on our asks, please visit our Budget page.

On Tuesday 20 October, we held our annual Parliamentary Reception to bring together parliamentarians and hospitality businesses to celebrate to sector’s contribution to jobs, growth and local communities.

This is a significant event in our calendar, bringing hospitality into the heart of Westminster. MPs were able to hear firsthand from businesses on how they deliver jobs in every high street and generate growth in every postcode. Taking place just a week before the 2026 Budget, this provided a meaningful opportunity to brief parliamentarians on the measures the sector needs.

We welcomed 60 Parliamentarians alongside 150 members.

We were pleased to welcome members of the House of Lords alongside MPs, who all have a meaningful role in securing change in legislation which affects the hospitality sector.

MPs attended from across the country, representing rural and coastal communities from every pocket of the UK including in Scotland and Wales, showing the diversity of hospitality’s offering for good growth across the country.

The sector’s track record of giving young people their first experience of work and many people’s first job was recognised by the Minister for Hospitality, Kate Dearden, as well as the lifelong soft skills and opportunities a job in hospitality gives young people.

Interim Shadow Secretary of State for Business Julia Lopez MP remarked on the tangible benefits hospitality brings to local communities with the hospitality sector being a true barometer for the health of high streets and the economy. Daisy Cooper MP and Treasury Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats spoke about how the Government needs to get behind the hospitality sector and the opportunities it brings.

The breadth of the sector was represented with businesses attending ranging from indoor leisure, pubs, hotels, quick service restaurants, late night and contract catering. These conversations provide MPs with real life examples and insights into how policy decisions impact businesses day-to-day operations and investment plans.

Today gives us the opportunity to reflect on the opportunities the sector brings through providing jobs, driving growth and bringing communities together.

Chris Webb MP opened the reception and welcomed attendees.

A high street is the glue that knots communities together. It’s the entire ecosystem.

We heard from Daisy Cooper MP, Liberal Democrats Treasury Spokesperson, on the role hospitality has in creating places people want to live and visit.

I had the privilege of seeing the sheer power of the sector across the UK. Places being busy doesn’t equal profitability. That’s the problem you’re facing right now.

We were joined by Interim Shadow Secretary of State, Julia Lopez MP, who spoke about the challenges facing the sector.

My first job was in a café when I was 14. I eventually became a manager and that job gave me more skills and experience than I could ever imagine. It showed me the differences an opportunity can make. It’s why I feel so strongly about the challenges facing young people.

Kate Dearden MP, Minister for the Future of Work and Hospitality, addressed the reception and spoke to the strengths of the hospitality sector.

I hope we will see real change at this Budget that helps us recover, and to create jobs.

Our CEO, Allen Simpson, looked forward to the Budget and what the sector needs to create growth across the country.

Building continuous dialogue with parliamentarians remains important as we press for support for the hospitality sector at the Budget .

The event was sponsored by Chris Webb, MP for Blackpool South and Chair of the APPG for Hospitality and Tourism, with speakers from the Government and the Official Opposition.