Mulholland slates BBPA's pro-pub campaign

Outspoken Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland has criticised a major trade group for "ignoring" calls for a united pro-pub campaign and launching its own initiative.

Tomorrow is the official launch of the Save the Pub campaign from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra). It calls for a scrapping of the alcohol duty escalator, among other things.

Mulholland has met with a number of trade groups and the media over the past few months to formulate plans for a campaign to save pubs, involving the whole trade.

The MP said he "heard nothing" from the BBPA about its plans for the campaign, "despite reminders".

Mulholland said: "There has never been a greater need for the pub trade and all who care about the British pub to speak with one voice about the situation faced by pubs and publicans, yet the BBPA has ignored that and has gone off and done its own thing.

"As the Licensing Minister made clear, there are different messages coming from different associations and this makes it easier for Government to ignore the needs of pubs and the pub trade, which it continues to do.

"The BBPA represents its members, not the whole of the trade, and the only way to effectively campaign was for all associations to come together and speak with one voice about duty rises, about supermarket prices and about the need for the Government and the public to act now to save the British pub.

"Monday's bombshell of yet more duty rises means that it is even more important that the trade comes together and speaks with one voice, but sadly the BBPA seem more interested in acting alone which means that that voice will not be loud enough."

The MA has asked the BBPA to comment but has not yet had a reply.