Mulholland attacks BBPA's new campaign
Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland has attacked the BBPA for going it alone and launching its own campaign highlighting the plight of pubs and beer duty hikes.
Having chaired a meeting with the industry's major players in April, Mulholland was hoping to generate a united front in the form of an umbrella 'save the pub' campaign against beer tax.
The BBPA attended the meeting, but Mulholland claims the group has not responded to his call for united action.
Tomorrow the trade body is launching its Save the Pub campaign, combining it the Axe the Tax initiative, at the Westminster Arms in London - featuring a photocall with Coronation Street barmaid Kym Marsh.
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 BPPA 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.
"Yesterday'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."
