Minister rejects Tory claim that pubs will be banned from selling pints
An Opposition motion had suggested new legislation would allow ministers to replace the British pint.
The British pint is “at the heart of our nation” and pubs will not be banned from selling them, according to the Government.
Treasury minister James Murray rejected Conservative claims that the Government wants to use new legislation to allow it to “ban pubs from selling pints”.
The Opposition tabled a Commons motion raising concerns over the impact of Government policy on family businesses, including a claim that a pint ban would be possible under the terms of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill.
Tory former minister Lord Sharpe of Epsom has previously claimed the “careless drafting” of the Bill, currently being debated in the House of Lords, would open the door for the British pint to be replaced as a standard measure for beer should a “metric maniac” hold the relevant Cabinet role.
For the Government, Mr Murray said it was “frankly absurd” for the Tories to suggest the “pint is under threat”.
He told the Commons: “The pint is part of our nation, we do not need a new law to protect the pint any more than we need a new law to say the sun must rise in the morning.
“I wonder, frankly, whether the members opposite who drafted that part of the motion may have been close to a number of pints at the point at which they did so.
“But, in any case, I am proud to reject the insinuation in their motion and to put on record, if it needs to be said, that pints are at the heart of our nation and under Labour they will stay that way.”
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “The pint is well and truly safe, something that I’m sure this entire House wants to hear.
“The pint is enshrined in law, in the Weights and Measures Act, so this scaremongering is just total nonsense. I would be tempted to call it a load of old codswallop but I would not want to insult the makers of that very fine pale ale.
“I could instead accuse them of scraping the barrel but let us just say that the Conservatives’ claim that the pint will be abolished is as fanciful as Labour’s claim that punters will see a penny taken off the price of their pint. They won’t.
“Frankly, if the Opposition think that they are standing up for pubs, they need to think again.”
Labour MP Joe Morris (Hexham) urged Tory MPs to “get a grip on their party” and object to things such as the “conspiracy theory over the pint”.
Opening the debate, Mel Stride said it was “absurd” to suggest Labour are the natural party of business given their record in power since last July.
Shadow chancellor Mr Stride also described changes to inheritance tax relief for businesses as a “sword of Damocles”.
He said: “The changes to business property relief are going see the break-up of many family firms. Now, the Government will say, of course, that it will only have an impact on the wealthiest estates, because there is the £1 million threshold.
“But how many of those companies are going to have that cash or availability to that money to settle those particular liabilities, and the value, of course, within many businesses lies in their assets, and liquidating those assets to pay those kind of liabilities, given that those assets are often instrumental to the effective working of that firm, is an absurdity.
“We also know that changes will damage businesses’ ability to borrow against assets where there is sword of Damocles hanging over the head by way of a potential future inheritance tax liability.”
Conservative former minister Esther McVey said some firms founded in the 19th century in her Tatton constituency survived two world wars, the Spanish flu, the “high tax and economic lunacy” of the 1970s and the Covid pandemic, but the first budget of Chancellor Rachel Reeves will “be the death of them”.
She said: “They’ve said to me that on their family business gravestone will be written: ‘RIP, 1830 to 2026, Reeves’ budget the fatal blow’.
“Here we have a Chancellor who wanted her legacy to be that she was the first female Chancellor when in fact her legacy will be the grim Reeves reaper who fatally killed off family businesses and destroyed enterprise in the UK.”
The Conservative motion was rejected by 313 votes to 108, majority 205.
