New research shows that shows 43% of Brits don’t trust any of the Conservative, Labour, or Liberal Democrat political party leaders to look out for the interests of pubs.
Rishi Sunak at the Great British Beer Festival on Tuesday. Photograph: Simon Walker/No 10 Downing Street
Labour’s Keir Starmer fared best, with 17% of Britons saying they would trust him to look out for the interests of pubs. Current Conservative prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who attended the Great British Beer Festival on Tuesday, only had the trust of 9%. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey polled just 3%.
“Sadly, this data suggests that the public’s perception is that our beloved locals have often been an afterthought in politics,” said CAMRA chair Nik Antona.
“We often hear politicians playing lip service to the community and social value of our locals, which is brilliant, but we need that to be backed up with meaningful action.
“With a general election approaching, these results should be a wake-up call for politicians, who need to have substantive policies in place to address the catalogue of issues facing the pub trade.”
He added: “CAMRA believes our pubs and social clubs deserve a fighting chance, with urgent action needed on energy prices, business rates, a fix for the takeaway pints issue caused by the new alcohol duty system, and the right for licensees to choose what products they keep on the bar, without stock lists being dictated by pub companies.”
