All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group joins BII

The new partnership agreed with APPBG chairman Graham Evans MP will mean all of its member MPs will know the latest news on the key challenges facing licensees by receiving the BII’s weekly InnFocus​ e-newsletter.

They will also receive online the quarterly BII News magazine and will be welcomed to attend any of the BII’s regional events in their area.

The news of the partnership was announced at the APPBG annual drinks at the House of Commons last week. 

The BII has more than 8,000 individual members running premises across the UK – predominantly tenanted, leased, managed and freehold pubs.

BII managing director Mike Clist said: “I am absolutely delighted to be able to welcome the MP members of the APPBG into the BII family at a time when support and understanding from Westminster is so crucial for the future of our members' businesses.

“I hope that by including these MPs in our network they can gain a greater understanding of the challenges and issues small licensed retail businesses face every day. And they can also get in touch with licensees in their area to fully understand the local issues within their own constituencies so that when parliament debates relevant regulatory changes, they have the insight they need to represent those directly affected by it."

Evans said: “Pubs play a vital role within their communities and, as small businesses deserve the full support of the beer group and its members, we are absolutely delighted to be joining the BII.

“We recognise the hugely valuable work the BII does in supporting individual licensees across the UK, helping them to grow their businesses, to employ more local people and improve services for their communities.

“I know a number of my fellow beer group MPs, who have already used the BII for advice in the past when tackling issues on behalf of their constituents, and this initiative will certainly enable more of them to access the BII for support and also hear direct from licensees in their constituencies about the challenges they face.”

At the same event the senior bar attendant at the Strangers’ Bar in the House of Commons, Will Conway, was presented with an honorary membership of the BII by Evans and Clist.