Mystery man: Can you name the Community Pubs Minister?

Our general election survey asked licensees whether they knew the identify of the pubs minister, who has been in post since taking on the role from his fellow Conservative MP Brandon Lewis following a ministerial reshuffle last summer.

Just 36% said they were able to name Kris Hopkins.

Respondents were also downbeat on how useful the role — which has seen three different ministers in post during the course of this parliament — has been for the trade.

When asked to rate its effectiveness on a scale of one to 10, the role scored an average rating of just 3.5.

Criticism​

Hopkins has come in for criticism since gaining responsibility for pubs in July 2014. His apparent inaction and lack of impact prompted the PMA​ to write an open letter​ to him in November asking what he had done and to call for further support.

Hopkins responded, insisting he was "deeply committed" to the industry​ and vowing to be the trade's champion in Whitehall.

Since then, he has pushed through changes to strengthen the protection for pubs listed as assets of community value, and made changes to guidance for local councils when dealing with noise complaints surrounding pubs​ and live music venues.

When asked by the PMA​​ whether he wanted to carry on as Community Pubs Minister if the Conservatives win the election, Hopkins replied: "I'll do whatever the PM wants me to do. But one thing is for sure - I'll remain a pubs champion".

Read: 10 facts about Community Pubs Minister Kris Hopkins​​​

Whitehall voice​

The survey also asked readers to name which current or future MP would be best placed to represent the trade at Westminster.

Unsurprisingly the most popular choice was Save the Pub Group chair Greg Mulholland, the self-styled ‘Pub Champion’, who successfully guided the recent pubs code legislation through parliament and has long championed changes to strengthen pub planning law.

Other popular choices were pint-supping UKIP leader Nigel Farage, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Parliamentary Beer Group chair Andrew Griffiths.