There has been a surge in support for the Great British pub from Election candidates in the last week.

100 new Parliamentary candidates have signed the pledge to 'Back the Pub', since last Monday, when the list of pub supporters was first published.

The pledge calls on government, industry, local authorities and others to work together to support British pubs as part of efforts to enhance community life and promote economic recovery. In total, 419 Parliamentary candidates from all over the country have now signed up in support of the 'Back the Pub' campaign.


Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the BBPA, said:

"It is clear that there is a growing momentum for the pub in this Election campaign. Candidates from all parties and all regions understand the importance of the British beer and pub industry to their own local economies, but they are rightly concerned about the state of the industry. In the last two years, beer tax has increased by 26 per cent whilst over 4,000 community pubs have closed at the cost of more than 40,000 jobs.

"Each of the main political parties, for the first time ever, have come out and said they support the pub in their manifestos. But we need to hear more details of what they propose. It is time now for all the parties to listen to their own candidates and say exactly how they intend to back the pub."