The Welsh first minister has sparked controversy after urging the public to stop watching Netflix and instead go to the pub in order to support struggling hospitality businesses.
Speaking in the Senedd, Eluned Morgan said consumers needed to “get out of their homes” and use pubs, restaurants and cafés if they wanted them to survive, following the Welsh Government’s announcement of a one-year business rates discount for the sector.
Her comments came after ministers confirmed a 15 per cent business rate discount for pubs, restaurants, cafés and live music venues in Wales for the 2026–27 financial year. The measure is intended to help around 4,400 businesses facing rising costs, but the scheme will last for just one year.
England, by contrast, has introduced a longer package of support. Under plans announced by the UK Government, pubs and live music venues in England will receive a 15 per cent discount from April, with business rates frozen for a further two years.
During a heated exchange in the Senedd, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth warned that the hospitality sector in Wales was facing an “existential crisis” and called for urgent reform of the business rates system.
In response, Morgan said government support alone could not save the sector.
“If people want to see those businesses succeed, they need to use them,” she said. “They need to stop buying things online. They need to get out of their homes and stop watching Netflix.
“They need to stop buying that bottle of wine at home and go out to the pub. You can’t expect the state to step in and do the work that the public should be doing.”
Opposition parties reacted angrily, accusing the first minister of blaming the public rather than addressing structural pressures on hospitality.
Ap Iorwerth later said Morgan was “completely out of touch” and had a habit of “blaming others instead of taking responsibility for the government’s own failures”.
Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar said the first minister had previously blamed Brexit and Donald Trump for economic difficulties in Wales and was now “blaming Welsh citizens and Netflix”.
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds added: “People are not willingly choosing Netflix over the high street. They are being forced indoors because prices keep rising and wages are not.”
The Welsh Government defended the one-year duration of the scheme, saying decisions for 2027-28 and beyond would be for the next Senedd, with Welsh elections due in three months.
Finance secretary Mark Drakeford said ministers recognised hospitality and music venues were “facing real pressures, from rising costs to changing consumer habits”, and argued the rate cut would provide meaningful short-term relief.
Trade body UKHospitality Cymru welcomed the inclusion of restaurants and cafés but said it was “notable” that the relief only runs for a single year. It also warned that hotels, which face some of the largest increases, have been excluded entirely.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in Wales also welcomed the discount but cautioned that rising property valuations could still force pubs to close.
Business rates in Wales are set by the Welsh Government and collected by local authorities, with some firms facing sharp increases following revaluations.
