Careless talk costs pubs

So you thought things couldn't get worse for the pub trade at the hands of the present Labour Government.

Well, sit down and pour yourself a stiff one because here come the Tories. Last week, Chris Grayling, the party's home affairs spokesman, announced in a speech that "there was a strong case to end 24-hour licensing. It has not created a café culture but made things worse in many town and city centres."

Mr Grayling didn't spell out precisely what a Tory Government would do to change the law, which is par for the course with the current Conservative Party — big on rhetoric, light on policies. But it would be helpful if Mr Grayling understood the legislation he is anxious to change.

There is no such thing as "24-hour licensing". As readers well know, pub owners can apply for flexible opening hours within a 24-hour cycle to meet consumer demand. This allows pubs to close at 11pm during the week but stay open longer at weekends.

Aside from mock pubs in airports, I don't know of any pubs that open for 24 hours. As Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers, said in reply to Chris Grayling: "Most 24-hour licences are held by supermarkets."

And there's the real problem: not pubs but supermarkets. The big offtrade retailers sell alcohol as loss leaders, with beer often priced more cheaply than bottled water. They

exercise no control over who buys alcohol or who it is passed on to. We all know — I have seen this at first hand — alcohol is frequently bought by adults then handed over to underage drinkers outside supermarkets.

We have all seen young people below the legal drinking age brazenly consuming cheap lager and cider in open spaces. In his speech, Chris Grayling referred to binge drinking, which he links to so-called 24-hour licensing, not to supermarkets.

But all the evidence shows that bad behaviour connected to pub drinking has declined markedly since the law changed. Town centres were not pretty places when every

pub closed at 11pm on Friday and Saturday nights, disgorging over-beered young people on to the streets.

You can tell the problem has improved because BBC's Panorama has been remarkably quiet on the subject for more than a year. In 2007 and early 2008, it could hardly stay off it. Even the Daily Wail seems to have gone quiet on the threat to civilisation posed by the new licensing laws.

The simple laws of supply and demand have also come into play. Many pubs that remained open until 1am or 2am have quietly returned to 11pm closing. Nobody can afford to keep a pub open, with heating and lighting going full bore and staff to pay if there are no punters at the bar.

Many suburban and rural pubs still close in the afternoon for the same sensible reason: no customers.

The Tories and Labour do have one thing in common: they have no answer to the appalling behaviour of the supermarkets. Parliamentary investigations have given the multiples at worst a slap on the wrist with a damp lettuce. Both parties seem frightened of taking action against the multiples and their dreadful record where alcohol is concerned.

While pubs bear the brunt of every damaging aspect of Government policy, including the ill-thought-out smoking ban and massive increases in duty, the supermarkets sail on regardless, telling suppliers to absorb duty increases so the stores can continue to undercut pub prices by eyewatering amounts.

Chris Grayling should have a word with other members of the Tory front bench. While he was making his speech, Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt was launching his

party's Save the Pub petition. Mr Hunt attacked the Government's tax hikes and heavy-handed regulation that will do nothing but close pubs down, he said. "This has to stop,"

he added.

Hear, hear. Are you listening, Mr Grayling? Pubs play a vital role in our communities. They are the antidote to binge drinking, encouraging people to drink moderately in a controlled environment. Flexible licensing has cut down on bad behaviour, not increased it.

It would be useful if Messrs Grayling and Hunt got together and sang from the same hymn sheet.

The last thing the pub trade needs is mixed messages from a party likely to return to power in the near future. Those with long memories can recall the chaos that resulted

from 1989's Monopolies Commission report: the Beer Orders, followed by "pubs-for-breweries" swops that led to the emergence of the new breed of pub companies. That all happened under a Tory Government and it did nothing to help either the pub trade or its customers.

We need assurances from the Tories that duty will be frozen or cut, and that the smoking ban can be relaxed. Above all, we need to hear of firm action to tackle the unbridled power of the supermarkets. Over to you, Mr Grayling.