The landlady of a top gastropub has hit out at a ‘tight-fisted’ Labour MP she claims booked a table in her restaurant, only ordered a starter – then left without giving a tip.
Karen Errington, the chef-owner of the Rat Inn in the hamlet of Anick, near the Northumbrian town of Hexham, didn’t name the allegedly parsimonious politician.
But she said: ‘I knew who he was. He didn’t make eye contact or make any effort to inquire how business was.
‘His table did the starter thing with no main course. Then at the end of the meal there was no tip. As my granny would say: “Nix, naught, nowt”.’
She added: ‘As they left, I briefly thought of giving him a few tips of my own. Instead, I smiled and politely thanked him for coming.
‘This Government is completely tone deaf. Beam me up, Scotty, there’s no intelligent life down here.’
Mrs Errington said the MP’s reluctance to order a main course was part of a growing trend ‘especially with the weight-loss jab situation’ that was damaging the viability of country pubs.
It didn’t take long for the local and online rumour mill to start pointing fingers at Hexham’s Labour MP Joe Morris.
Karen Errington (pictured), owner of the Rat Inn in Anick, has hit out at a ‘tight-fisted’ Labour MP she claims booked a table, only ordered a starter and then left without tipping
Fingers were quickly pointed to Hexham’s Labour MP Joe Morris (pictured)
And last night, Mrs Errington’s public criticism sparked a rebuttal from sources close to the politician, who claimed he had dined at the pub with a couple of family members, firmly insisting that the final bill had been more than £150.
The source admitted that Mr Morris’s party hadn’t left a tip because they assumed a service charge had been automatically added to their bill.
‘Joe had contacted the Rat Inn earlier this year to congratulate them on being recognised at the Gastropub Awards and made it clear he was looking forward to visiting the pub,’ said the source.
The Rat Inn, ranked eighth in the Estrella Damm Top 50 gastropubs this year, offers a chicken liver pate starter for £13.95, soup of the day for £8.50, smoked mackerel fishcakes for £13.95 and southern fried quail for £14.95.
Diners opting for a main course can try the 200g dry aged fillet steak for £42 or a Chateaubriand for two people at about £94.
Leading restaurant reviewer Giles Coren described the 18th-century former drovers’ rest stop in The Times last month as ‘lovely.’
Coren, who coincidentally sat in the same seat as Mr Morris on his visit, praised it for serving ‘good, hearty, locally sourced, home-cooked food.’
Writing in the pub trade journal, The Morning Advertiser, Mrs Errington said the politician, Hexham’s first Labour MP in 100 years, was: ‘Glued to his phone throughout the meal, looking at his Instagram account to see how many likes he had or probably Googling his own name to see what came up.’
The Rat Inn (pictured) was ranked eighth in the Estrella Damm Top 50 gastropubs this year
She added: ‘Yes, we are well placed when serving at the table to see exactly what you’re looking at without being spotted.
‘I get that people are entitled to private time, but I didn’t ask him to put himself forward for public office, he chose to do that himself and with that comes a certain expectation of how you conduct yourself in the public domain – you only need to look at recent news to be aware of that.’
She admitted that she felt ‘reckless’ writing her comments but warned: ‘It’s the economic situation, the cost of fuel, the war and now with the threat of fuel rationing, before long there ain’t going to be anybody driving out to rural pubs.’
A Labour Party spokesman said: ‘Joe supports our great British pubs and the many fantastic hospitality outlets across his constituency.
‘Joe is doing all he can to work with the Labour Government to help ease the cost of living and pressure facing businesses.
‘Alongside their work representing local residents, all MPs are entitled to have a private life and, on this occasion, Joe was out spending much-needed time with his family, rather than on a constituency engagement in his role as the local MP.’
Mrs Errington did not respond to requests for an interview.
