David Cameron hints at third beer duty cut
The Prime Minister was responding to a question from All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group chairman Andrew Griffiths, who asked for assurance that the government is “on the side of publicans and on the side of British brewers”, following reports that the Chancellor will "definitely" introduce a beer duty cut hat trick in today’s The Sun newspaper.
Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Griffiths asked Cameron to urge the Chancellor to make the announcement, adding that recent reports show British beer sales are up for the first time in 10 years and the scrapping of the beer duty escalator and previous two cuts in beer duty have saved 1,050 pubs.
Cameron replied: “This Government has been a good friend of Britain’s pubs and the beer industry. I am delighted with the figures my hon. Friend read out. It always goes to show that life’s better under the Conservatives.”
He also praised the work Griffiths has done to support the beer industry and pubs.
A report produced for the Campaign for Real Ale last month estimated that 1,047 additional pubs would have closed and 750m fewer pints would have been sold in the UK if the government had not scrapped the beer duty escalator and cut beer duty in 2013 and 2013.
The British Beer & Pub Association said that the cuts in beer duty have resulted in millions of pounds of new investment in Britain’s pubs and breweries with over 16,000 new jobs.
