Pubs don’t deserve special measures | Letters

2026-02-09 - 17:15

Singling out pubs for government help when other high street businesses are also suffering is wrong, writes Michael Newman. Plus letters from John Whitney and Pamela Ellis Simon Jenkins leaves one or two unanswered questions in his plea for state help with saving pubs (Here is a political lesson progressives need to learn, and fast: British pubs are crucial, 5 February). Why pubs and not wool shops? Or stationery shops or greasy spoon cafes? Should teetotallers be expected to donate towards keeping open the doors of places they’re unlikely to visit? And what about the jackpot question? Why are so many people eschewing pubs? And are they really the haven of heavenly camaraderie he depicts? Probably in the well‐heeled villages of posh Oxfordshire, but in the grim anonymous edifices of downtown Grimsville it’s a different story. Continue reading...