Date for anti-tie Westminster protest

Disgruntled licensees from across the country will make their feelings about the beer tie known in a protest at Westminster next month.

As part of a lobby day orgainsed by anti-pubco campaign group Fair Pint, tied tenants and lessees will march to Parliament on May 20 and speak to MPs to urge them to bring an end to the tie.

Fair Pint will also be launching a new report on the day to highlight issues faced by tenants.

Fair Pint founder member Brian Jacobs said: "For too long the voice of tenants hasn't been heard at Westminster.

"The Fair Pint Lobby Day will allow publicans from around the country to get their voice heard and inform MPs about how the tie is destroying their livelihoods."

Meanwhile, a trade union leader has urged MPs to take action to stop pubcos "driving licensees out of business".

Speaking ahead of the publication of the Business and Enterprise Select Committee investigation into pubco power - expected next month - Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB, said action was needed to help tied licensees.

He said: "MPs must conclude that the pubcos are another case of the financial sector ripping off consumers and driving hard working licensees out of business.

"For a thriving tenanted pub sector there needs to be a substantial reductions in rents and lower wholesale prices to the tenants. This will lead to writing down the value of the debts in the pubcos. We need a lead on this from the select committee."

Publicans can register for the lobby day on the Fair Pint website www.fairpint.org​