Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin has once again called on the government and Keir Starmer to reduce the tax gap between supermarkets and pubs in his company’s latest trading update.

Martin said following the government’s decision to hike the national minimum wage, business rates and employers’ national insurance, costs at Wetherspoon will increase by around £60m per annum.

The wage hikes will have a “significantly bigger impact on pub and restaurant companies than supermarkets,” he noted.

“Supermarkets pay no VAT in respect of food sales, whereas pubs pay 20 per cent,” which allows “supermarkets to subsidise the price of beer they sell,” Martin continued.

He added: “Given the public’s love of pubs, the only possible explanation for this tax discrepancy is that prime ministers and other legislators, in the 45 years since Wetherspoon started trading, have been dinner party goers, rather than pub goers.

“Food at dinner parties is VAT-free, subsidised by the legendary “man on the Clapham omnibus”, who has fish and chips at his local pub.

“Wetherspoon therefore calls upon Sir Keir Starmer to redress this imbalance, thereby striking a blow for tax equality and ending discrimination in favour of dull (yawn, yawn) dinner parties.”