‘I’m doing Wolverhampton next’: Beer lover is on his way to the Black Country amid challenge to down a pint in all 650 UK parliamentary constituencies

Former MP staffer Jay Chan, 18, has made it his quest to sink a beer in each constituency - and admits the mammoth pub crawl may take him 20 years.

So far Jay has drunk a pint in ten different places, meaning he has 640 to go on his beer-drinking odyssey, which will cost more than £3,000 on beer alone.

Jay's challenge is part of his wish to protect the British pub industry – which he describes as an “integral part of British life”.

He is calling for the 20 per cent rate of VAT charged on food and drinks in pubs to be scrapped and local heritage pubs to be supported in gaining listed status.

Jay has so far completed every constituency in Birmingham except Hodge Hill and hopes to complete "most of the West Midlands" in the coming months.

"I'm thinking of doing Wolverhampton, Walsall, or West Brom next. He says his "very rough" plan is to "work his way out from Birmingham".

"It helps if it's easy to get to by train or by bike, I'm not sure how I'll manage when I have to go to London - especially since it's so expensive!"

Jay, from Birmingham, said: “I think it will take me a very, very long time – especially doing all the rural constituencies

“I can't drink and drive – obviously – and the trains aren’t as efficient out there.”

On the message behind his mission, Jay said: “The pub brings communities together.

“They have been here since Roman times, and it’s sad to see them in decline.

“When people think about Britain they think about Big Ben, the King, the Union Jack – but after that comes the pub, and the pints and the people enjoying them – it's vital we protect them.”

If Jay is to complete his challenge, he will be forking out at £3,055 - if he consumes just one pint per constituency.

But he says the cost of getting to all of them is far higher than he imagined - leading to him even starting a Go Fund Me - which so far has raised over £2,000.

Videos of Jay frequenting pubs have racked up thousands of views online and he has gained a reputation for his pint downing abilities.

Jay previously worked for ex-Dudley North MP Marco Longhi, before the general election in July and says he is looking to get back working in politics as soon as he can.

He said: “In the meantime I’m continuing with my challenge, I’ve got time on my side, it could take 20 years but I’ll keep going.”

Last weekend he crossed off Dudley and Tipton and Wednesbury – all in the West Midlands.

He says he is most looking forward to sinking pints in Northern Ireland, home to 18 different constituencies but his favourite pub is the Hop Garden in Birmingham.

Despite working for a former Tory MP, Jay has tried to bridge the political divide in his campaign, highlighting pints as being able to “unite people regardless of political differences”.