Licensee bids to be Lib Dem MP

By Ewan Turney

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Lib dem mp Members of the united kingdom parliament for english constituencies Dorset

Eades: hoping to take frontline experience to Westminster
Eades: hoping to take frontline experience to Westminster
A Dorset licensee is bidding to become a Lib Dem MP at the next general election. Philip Eades is a Hall and Woodhouse tenant at the Sloop in Poole...

A Dorset licensee is bidding to become a Lib Dem MP at the next general election.

Philip Eades is a Hall and Woodhouse tenant at the Sloop in Poole and is also currently a Poole councillor. He hopes to unseat Tory Robert Syms at the next election.

"I am strongly in favour of a minimum price on a unit of alcohol," said Eades. "There is no question that supermarket pricing has got out of hand.

"The price gap has got too big and they are giving it away now."

He also said, if elected, he would stand up for pubs against needless legislation. "The Government has been hitting the wrong target," he said.

"I don't see any irresponsible licensees in Poole. We are all being tarred with the same brush over anti-social behaviour but it is really the supermarkets causing it and to some extent the parents of underage drinkers."

High profile Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland has been a keen supporter of the anti-pubco Fair Pint campaign but Eades said he took a slightly different view.

"I think you very much know what you are signing up too. I am sure there are bad pubcos and bad BDMs (Business Development Managers) but we are all adults and knew what we were signing up for and knew the prices."

Eades took over the Sloop last October and previously held a Marston's lease for five years.

He added: "I don't believe there is any current MP with experience as a licensee and I should like to bring some real frontline experience of pub life to Parliament if I am lucky enough to win the seat."

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