James Wilmore: Cable on the case over beer tie and licensing
Vince Cable may never have to pay for a drink again in his life.
The friendly-faced Business Secretary is shaping up to be a pub trade ally, judging by his pronouncements so far.
Since taking office, Cable has stuck his neck out on four key issues for the industry - the beer tie, the licensing shake-up, bank lending to small business, and Sky.
His predecessor Peter Mandelson barely stuck his head above the parapet publicly on pubs, so this is encouraging.
In the case of licensing, Cable has given hope the changes to the regime won't be as harsh as first thought.
Last week the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers revealed he had responded in writing to the group's concerns, promising any changes would be "balanced and proportionate".
Sound familiar? Well, yes, these words mirror what Home Office minister James Brokenshire has said about the "re-balancing".
But the fact Cable is taking an interest, whose remit is solely business, gives us hope.
Eye on the tie
Prior to this, the Twickenham MP showed he was keeping his beady eye on reform of the beer tie.
He warned pubcos they would face "legislative action" if they fail to deliver on their promises for reform. He also acknowledged pubs were "frustrated" with the tie.
On loans, Cable has published a green paper warning banks they could face penalties if failing to lend to small businesses.
And on Sky, he has shown he is not afraid to stand up to the Murdoch empire, by ordering an Ofcom probe into News Corporation's bid to take full control of BSkyB.
Though this is unlikely to affect pubs, licensees may be encouraged there is somebody in the Cabinet acknowledging the amount of power Murdoch now wields.
The only worry is that if Cable is regarded as too radical by his boss, David Cameron, he could find himself shuffled out of the Cabinet. But the implications for the stability of the coalition would be huge.
Hopefully Dr Vince will be around long enough to deliver a decent bit of medicine for the trade…
Vince Cable will deliver a video message to the Business in Sport and Leisure conference this Wednesday
