161 UK pubs shut their doors in Q1 2026 alone — one publican turning the lights out every 13 hours. And the pressure isn't easing.In this episode, Matt and Charlie unpack two damning stats from the British Beer and Pub Association and UK Hospitality, before tearing into the Green Party's proposal to push the national living wage from £12.71 to £15 an hour — an 18% jump in a single year.They debate what a hike like that would actually do to small businesses already buckling under April's 4.1% wage rise, employer NI at 15%, and a £1.4bn cost increase across hospitality alone. Spoiler: it's not the politicians who pick up the bill.Along the way, they get into youth unemployment, the death of the middle-market restaurant, why this only accelerates AI adoption and offshoring, and what it really takes to keep moving forward when the game keeps changing underneath you.Takeaways:📉 Why 161 pub closures in one quarter is a warning shot for every SME💷 What an 18% minimum wage jump would actually cost small business🤖 Why higher labour costs only speed up AI and offshoring decisions👷 The youth unemployment problem nobody in Westminster is solving🔪 Why Matt thinks the next 12 months are about taking market share, not playing safeFollow Matt:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mrmattholland/👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrmattholland/📱 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattholland❌ X - https://x.com/mrmattholland1Follow Charlie:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theworkwearexpert👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-smith-1a55295b/