Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie has asked the government to reconsider the lockdown rules on sales of take-away alocohol.

beer growlers

When the new lockdown was announced, the government said that pubs could continue to offer take-away food and soft drinks, but not alochol.

In the House of Commons, as the lockdown legislation was debated, she said: “It is not fair to stop this activity when supermarkets and off-licences can sell regardless.”

She echoes the sentiments of many CAMRA members who have lobbied their MPs on this subject in recent days.

CAMRA chairman, Nick Antona, said: “It is absolutely unfair that whilst big supermarkets can continue to sell alcohol, our struggling local pubs in England can’t act as an off-licence too. 

“This was a real lifeline for many pubs during previous lockdowns and is desperately needed again now, with landlords up and down the country struggling to make ends meet after months of closures, curfews, and restrictions. Pubs are also the only place where people can get cask beer, which is under threat due to months of forced pub closures, with some breweries stopping production. 

“The least the government can do is take a sensible approach, think again, and allow community pubs to sell take-away products. No-one wants to see drinking in the streets during a lockdown, but allowing pubs to sell alcohol in sealed containers for people to take home — just like shops do — would be completely reasonable. 

“Without a change in these lockdown laws, we risk seeing more locals going to the wall, traditional British cask ale under threat, and people being forced into supermarkets instead of being allowed to support local businesses by buying beer from the pub to take home.”