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Order! Order.

Hello, I'm Sean Curran, and this is today in Parliament from BBC Radio 4.

For Tuesday, the 27th of January, when pubs and music venues in England were told they'd face lower bills.

We are determined to support pubs that are often the lifeblood of so many communities,

but also to support all of our retail hospitality and leisure sector.

The Conservatives say it's too little too late.

Why did the Chancellor choose to spend billions more on the benefits bill instead of providing

proper permanent business rate support?

Also tonight, tackling the medical brain drain.

What is the Secretary of State doing to make sure that British trained medics stay working in the NHS?

But first, pubs and music venues in England are to get a 15% cut in their business rates

as part of a package of measures designed to defuse a row that began at the autumn budget.

Last November, Rachel Reeves announced changes to the way taxes on commercial property are

calculated. The changes, combined with the end of discounts that had been in place since the

pandemic, prompted protests and predictions of pub closures and job losses. By the time

the Chancellor appeared in the comments for her regular question time,

MPs knew that a concession was on the way. The Conservative Shadow Chancellor, Samel Stride,

complained that Rachel Reeves didn't understand that many pubs were in a desperate situation.

And what many pubs are asking is why did the Chancellor choose to spend billions more on the benefits bill

instead of providing proper permanent business rate support?

Rachel Reeve said 7,000 pubs had closed under the Conservatives

...