Conservatives back action on beer tie

By Ewan Turney

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Conservative party Pubcos

Tory leader David Cameron: backing calls fro reform of the pub industry
Tory leader David Cameron: backing calls fro reform of the pub industry
The Conservatives have backed calls for pubcos and brewers to offer tenants a free of tie option by June 2011 or face statutory regulation. The news...

The Conservatives have backed calls for pubcos and brewers to offer tenants a free of tie option by June 2011 or face statutory regulation.

The news means that all three major political parties — Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats — have now promised reform of the pubco system.

The Tory policy on the pubcos has been a long time coming to light and had been a source of hope to pubcos that it would offer an alternative to intervention.

But the party has now come out in favour of the recommendations of the Business Skills and Innovation Committee (BISC), chaired by their own Peter Luff, and the policy laid out by pubs minister John Healey (Pubcos face new Beer Orders​).

A spokesman for David Cameron said: "The Conservative Party supports the idea that should the industry fail to deliver self-regulation by June 2011, the Government of the day should end up consulting on putting the Code of Practice on a statutory basis.

"The Government have agreed to this and we are happy with this position."

Justice for Licensees leader Inez Ward said: "This is a new dawn. It is really good news.

"For far too long there has been an endless stream of honest hard working people and families that have suffered due to the pubcos.

"There has got to be change and now all three parties are committed to that by June 2011.

"But now it's time for the shouting and arguing to end. It is time for the trade to unite and get on with putting reform in place. Let's get this trade sorted now for the good of the Great British pub.

"The pubcos know what they have to do — they have been told and now the ball is firmly in their court. They either do it themselves or it will be done for them.

"Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today."

Unequivocal message

BISC chairman Luff, who had previously been in the dark over his party's policy, said: "This is really good news. I am very happy. The Select Committee recommendations came from a cross party basis and now both major parties have endorsed it.

"It sends a clear an unequivocal message to the industry that things have to change. I am not entirely surprised because the logic behind the report was sound."

Yesterday, Labour confirmed its commitment to forcing pubcos to offer tenants a free of tie option in its election manifesto (Labour confirms free-of-tie commitment​) while the Lib Dems have also previously promised reform (Lib Dems: radical reform for tie​).

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