MyShout

It's decision day soon for the big issues affecting the trade, says MP John Grogan

The House of Commons is currently taking its half term break, and as I write, the library is quiet. Nevertheless, outside the London weather is already spring-like - and indeed, this spring will bring important decisions likely to define Gordon Brown's relationship with the licensed trade throughout the rest of his term in office.

Downing Street aides do keep hinting that the Department of Health-led review on the impact of low alcohol prices will lead to real action against the supermarkets in the coming months. Tesco, which delivers cheap, quality food to the nation, is a powerful adversary. On the other hand, for the Prime Minister to pull back now from acting against below-cost selling would look weak and indecisive compared with the rhetoric and proposals on the issue coming from ministers in both Dublin and Edinburgh.

Budget day on 12 March will indicate whether the industry's new lobbying tactics have worked. The emphasis of the industry's submissions to the Treasury has subtly changed this year. While still reminding Alistair Darling that beer-duty increases have not led to increases in Government revenue, there has been a greater willingness to point out the impact of the comparatively favourable treatment afforded in recent years to spirits, wine and cider. It is to be hoped that this tactic, while dividing the alcohol industry, will hit home with a Chancellor who will not want to be portrayed as a soft touch to the Scotch whisky industry at the expense of British beer.

In last year's budget debate the then Treasury Minister, John Healey, told MPs that cider duty has been frozen because "the cider industry was seriously struggling and the industry is very important in supporting farmers in local areas".

Here's hoping that his successor, my old University friend Angela Eagle, can substitute the word "beer"

for "cider"!

Sometimes in Government there is an attitude of "We've started, so we'll finish". Sheer inertia - or pride - at not wanting to admit a mistake means that a policy continues to be pursued long after anybody can really remember why they ever dreamt it up in the first place.

Alcohol disorder zones are a case in point: they were really a way of Hazel Blears and David Blunkett emphasising their tough intentions when they were Home Office Ministers at the height of the furore about licensing law reform. The orders implementing this idea have been savaged by a scrutiny committee of both Houses of Parliament.

As things stand, supermarkets will not have to pay any of the costs of the zones. Besides, will there really be a queue of areas waiting to label themselves as "problem areas"? Many backbenchers just wish that the Government would quietly drop the whole idea.

The pub trade is under real pressure, with one City analyst predicting last week that 6,000 pubs will call last orders within a decade.

Victories on supermarket pricing, taxation and alcohol disorder zones are desperately needed.

John Grogan is Labour MP

for Selby, North Yorkshire