New BIS minister prefers rock stars to pub people

So when the PMA put in a call to the office of Jo Swinson MP, the recently-appointed Lib Dem parliamentary under-secretary of state for employment relations, consumer and postal affairs (and also junior equalities minister) at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), to ask for an interview on the Government’s satisfaction with the progress of the pubcos’ self-regulation efforts, the response made us both disappointed and suspicious.

“I’m afraid that on this occasion we will have to decline your bid, with thanks.” Oh well — as long as it’s with thanks, that’s OK.

No — hang on, that’s not OK. Didn’t Parliament itself vote in January for an independent review of the self-regulation agreement?

I know BIS said at the time that this vote was not binding on the Government, but surely it must have some view on how things are progressing.

Well, yes it does. Swinson’s press officer said: “Last November the Government set out a new, tough and legally-binding form of self-regulation for the pub industry… the commitments made in that document have now been achieved,” before adding that
BIS now has no further involvement in the pub industry.

I’ve written before that the pub industry has bigger fish to fry than obsessing about Government intervention in contractual arrangements between landlord and tenant — not least the disproportionate tax burden on the sector — but even I am amazed by
this level of ministerial complacency.

Those who actively campaigned for legislative regulation, and who believed the issue was still live — not least BIS committee chairman Adrian Bailey — have also declared themselves “astonished”.

I guess Government reshuffles have a tendency to erase ministerial memories. But this is Alzheimer’s on an epidemic scale.

The PMA would like to put it on the record that we’d still like to speak to Ms Swinson, even if just to give her the opportunity to say how pleased she is with the self-regulatory efforts of the pubcos, how well she thinks the new conciliation and arbitration service PICAS is working, and how important she thinks the pub industry is to the British economy.

We won’t hold our breath. She’s too busy meeting rock stars. Last week Swinson met U2 lead singer Bono to discuss transparency in energy and mining deals in developing countries.

I suspect he got an email saying: “I’m delighted that on this occasion we will accept your meeting request, with thanks.”

At the meeting I can imagine Swinson cooing: “Mr Bono, could I ask for your autograph on this old bit of paper? What is it? Oh it’s my predecessor’s pub-industry dossier — I have no need for it.

“Do you know Gary Barlow?”