CHANCELLOR DETERMINED TO GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS MAN WHO KILLED BRITISH PUB - MULHOLLAND

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 24th Apr 2008

Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West, has challenged the Chancellor Alistair Darling today on the floor of the House of Commons on the impact that the increase in beer duty announced in this year's Budget will have on the pub trade during already extremely difficult times for pubs across the country.

Mr Mulholland, the Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Beer Group, slammed the Chancellor, who is already barred from pubs up and down the country, for being the man who would put the final nail in the coffin of the British pub.

Commenting Greg said:

"The latest rise in beer duty will have a devastating impact on the pub trade, which is already experiencing very difficult times.

"Alistair Darling has already been banned from pubs up and down the country because of this deeply flawed plans, which will not only fail to raise the predicted level of tax, it will force many pubs to close their doors for good.

"The Chancellor has already shown that he is willing to u-turn on measures he announced in the budget, and he should do so again. Otherwise he will go down in history as the man who killed the British Pub."