Dear Peter,

On behalf of the Campaign for Pubs, we would like to warmly congratulate you on your appointment as Secretary of State for Business. We wish you every success in this important role and look forward to your leadership at a time of significant opportunity and challenge for businesses across the country.

In recent years, however, pubs have faced unprecedented pressures, from rising costs and business rates to challenges posed by the pandemic and changes in consumer behaviour.

We would however add to that list the ongoing behaviour of the large pub owning companies, who were subject to statutory regulation under the Pubs Code which came into effect in 2016.