Rachel Thieves
Hundreds of pubs have banned Labour MPs from their premises in protest against the November 2025 Budget, which brought tax hikes and rising business rates for the hospitality sector.
One landlord has gone a step further. Chris Ghazarian, who runs The Green Dragon in Flaunden, Hertfordshire, is pouring a protest “beer” called Rachel Thieves in response to what he describes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s tax raids on pubs.
The drink itself is nothing more than water – a deliberate gimmick to highlight the Chancellor’s policies on taxing pubs. Even the pump clip carries a pointed message. Where the alcohol percentage would normally appear, it reads “% MAY GO UP AT ANY POINT” – a not so subtle hint that tax rates are only heading one way.
