DRAUGHT beer should be given the same duty relief enjoyed by small breweries in order to break the supermarket stranglehold on alcohol sales, says Selby MP John Grogan.

Mr Grogan, who chairs the all-party beer group in Parliament, has recently stepped up his efforts to secure the future of the nation’s alehouses.

Last week he put the tax relief question before Parliament and he has also launched an Early Day Motion calling on government and industry to back a campaign by the British Beer And Pub Association and the Society of Independent Brewers to safeguard the future of a “quintessentially British institution.”

Mr Grogan also welcomed the appointment yesterday of John Healey as the minister for pubs. Mr Grogan had earlier described Mr Healey as “a man who knows his onions” and urged the public to make local pub survival a General Election issue.

He said: “A big thing I would like to see is the low rate of duty for small breweries extended to draught beers to help pubs against the supermarkets.

“In my 13 years as an MP, there have been pub closures and, with the recession, pubs are finding it harder to make ends meet.

“They might be the only community institution in a village.”

The I’m Backing The Pub campaign will publish a full list of parliamentary candidates and their respective positions on its website in March.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: “The British people value British pubs.

“More than eight out of ten believe their local is an important part of community life, yet dozens of pubs are closing every week. We are therefore asking all candidates to join 100,000 supporters and pledge their support for our campaign – and we will publish the list of those who do and those who don’t.”

Details at backthepub.com/news