THE landlord serving Britain’s cheapest pint calls on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to spare Britain a battering, begging: “Give us a break”.
Nick Pritchard, 50, owns Tommy Cutler’s Bar in Blackpool, Lancs offering customers a pint of lager for an incredible Budget-busting £1.75.
Hard-up punters are flocking to the renovated boozer to sup the premium lager, sold under the branding, “Tommy’s Lager Than Life!”.
But while entrepreneurial Nick is doing his best to keep customers coming through the door, he says the pub industry is getting hammered by the government.
And he and publicans up and down Britain fear Reeves could hike alcohol duty once again in today’s Budget – with speculation she is expected to whack another 4.5% on booze.
Nick told The Sun: “All I can say to Rachel Reeves is, give us a break.
Help us. Give us something to be cheerful about.
“Pubs are on their a**e. We’re a dying trade and pubs are closing down across the country.
“If the government doesn’t do something in the next five to ten years there won’t be any pubs left.”
Nick says by keeping prices low at his pub he’s doing his bit to help, but adds he’s not a charity.
“With the cost of living crisis we’re trying our best to give everyone a bit of value for money and hopefully customers will keep coming back to us, which in turn helps our business,” he said.
“The pub industry as a whole is getting hammered, it honestly feels like the government is trying to get rid of us, they’re punishing us at every turn.”
But Nick isn’t confident Reeves will help out, saying he thinks the Chancellor will “penalise” pubs again.
“We’ll probably get hit again. There’s really not a lot of money left to keep things running after the government’s had it all.
“And without the pubs it would rip the heart out of Britain.”
Nick, who has been a landlord for six years, says boozers are vital social hubs in many communities.
“People are coming in to socialise, have a chat, and for some of them they’ve got nothing else,” he said.
“A bit of a chat and beer at a price they can afford, it’s so important.
Our beer might not be everyone’s cup of tea… but to be honest, it’s cheaper than a cup of tea.
Nick Pritchard
“You can get two or three pints here for the price of a cup of Costa Coffee.
“Elsewhere in Blackpool the same lager costs £4.95.
“Our beer might not be everyone’s cup of tea… but to be honest, it’s cheaper than a cup of tea.”
Tommy Butler’s Bar is a free house and does offer several other mainstream lagers and beers.
The bar has been transformed into a modern, contemporary spot after undergoing a £250,000 refurbishment.
The stylish boozer has a brick feature wall and acoustic wood panels throughout and offers live entertainment and Sky Sports.
It opened 12 months ago and has been a success – attracting locals and visitors holidaying in Blackpool.
Nick also owns The New Philly Family bar next door and plans to open a second Tommy Cutler’s Bar in Blackpool in the town centre early next year.
Customer Daniel Snee, 41, a building contractor, said: “The beer is absolutely spot on.
“There are other places in the town centre that charge £5 a pint and it’s no where near as good.
“Here you can come out with £20 and still go home with change in your pocket.
“I come here quite regularly and try to support local businesses.
“It’s a nice place with good entertainment.”
Roofer David Wilson, 40, said: “It is a good pint of lager that doesn’t break the bank.
“I don’t drink anything else when I come here.
“It’s a fantastic price when other places are more expensive.
“The cheap price seems to be working because it does bring people in.”
‘Terrific price for a pint’
Peter Olave, 36, a landscaper from Stevenage, added: “This is a terrific price for a pint.
“I’m from London where a pint of lager is £6.75 so drinking here is really cheap.”
Last year, drinkers faced a 3.6% hike in the cost of their favourite tipple, adding 54p to a bottle of wine and gin by 32p.
Alcohol duty is usually updated each year using the Retail Price Index (RPI) for inflation from the previous September.
But industry leaders are urging the government to freeze duty this year rather than raise it by 4.5%.
Under the proposed changes, a bottle of Prosecco would rise by 14p.
A 13.5% bottle of red wine would go up by 16p and the same size bottle of white wine at 11% by 13p.
A 70cl bottle of gin at 37.5% would climb by 47p and Scotch at 40% by 50p.
A four‑pack of 330ml lager at 4.6% would cost 7p more and a four‑pack of cider at 4.5% would rise by 4p.
Ready‑to‑drink vodka and diet cola cans would also rise in price by about 2p.
Pubs and drinks firms say another hike could be the final straw.
