The motion was tabled on 19 March 2026 and has been signed by two members, according to parliamentary records - Labour MP for Crawley Peter Lamb (who tabled the motion) and Democratic Unionist Party MP for Strangford Jim Shannon - and currently has not yet had any amendments submitted.
It says transparency is “becoming an increasingly pressing issue for consumers” and “believes clearer and more prominently displayed pricing would help customers compare pubs more effectively”.
Furthermore, it called on the Government to require all pubs and bars to display drinks and “other products” prices somewhere “clearly visible from where customers place orders”.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) backed Lamb’s motion and urged pubgoers to write to their MP, asking for their support.
Clearly displayed
Poppleston Allen senior associate solicitor Suraj Desor outlines the current requirements for operators around displaying drinks prices to consumers, which includes allowing businesses the flexibility of where and how the information is conveyed.
He said: “While the motion highlights a legitimate aim around improving price transparency for consumers, the current legal framework already provides a sufficient and flexible basis to achieve this without the need for further prescription.
“Consumer protection law already requires operators to provide customers with the key pricing information they need before making a purchasing decision, but it does not prescribe a single format or location for how that information must be displayed, instead allowing flexibility provided it is clear and given at the appropriate time.”
Rigid rules
Desor added: “This sits alongside the mandatory licensing condition on smaller measures under the Licensing Act 2003, which requires the availability of specified measures (such as a half pint of beer) to be clearly communicated to customers, including in printed material, together with the relevant Weights and Measures legislation, which similarly requires measures served of certain alcoholic drinks to be made clear to customers.
“Against that backdrop, introducing rigid rules on the positioning or prominence of price lists risks removing the operational flexibility that pubs need to present information in a way that works for their individual venue, while adding an additional layer of regulatory burden.
“The existing framework is already capable of delivering transparency for consumers when applied in a practical and proportionate way, without the need for further prescriptive requirements on the trade.”
