2020 has been devastating for the beer industry worldwide. In the U.K., the government has compounded the damage through its ham-fisted response to the coronavirus pandemic. In March, to control the spread of the virus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Britons they should no longer go to the pub. He did not order pubs to close until a week later. This denied pub operators access to business interruption support. Thousands lost their jobs. That was only the beginning.
Throughout the pandemic, James Calder and Kate Nicholls have spoken up for the nation’s beleaguered pubs, bars, hotels, and restaurants, and for the breweries which supply them. They have resisted, sometimes even reversed, the arbitrary restrictions placed upon these businesses. The ban on pubs selling alcohol to-go is one notable example. Business owners are desperate for clarity amid the confusion of ever-changing regulations. Calder and Nicholls have lobbied the government and given countless media interviews trying to provide it.
It’s hard to sum up how bad things are without it sounding like hyperbole. Independent breweries lost more than 80% of their trade during the first lockdown in March. By October, as Britain entered its second lockdown, almost 80% of hospitality businesses said they might not survive the next year. It’s hard to imagine how much worse things might be without Calder and Nicholls. The risk of losing a great many pubs is real and immediate. If it comes to pass, it will deal a blow to British society and culture—to the U.K.’s national identity, even. What would Britain be without its pints and its pubs? A nation diminished.
Words,Anthony Gladman