JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin, 69, has pushed back against ‘daft’ proposals made to Labour to shrink the size of pints in an effort to reduce Brits’ alcohol consumption.
He disputed claims by scientists that shrinking the drinks by a third would curb Britons’ alcohol intake – a suggestion which is reportedly causing chatter among politicians at Westminster.
Mr Martin’s claims came on the back of expectation-busting profits for his boozers, which brought in £73.9million in profits before tax – beating the £72m predicted – in the year ending July 28.
He told CityAM that ‘human nature’ would keep Britain boozing whatever the glass size and noted that even if the measure did work, supermarket cans would also need to be scaled down as more and more people opt for nights in to save cash.
Researches at Cambridge University called on the government to introduce legislation to shrink our drinks on the back of a study which showed it cut alcohol intake by 10 per cent.
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has slammed ‘daft’ proposals to shrink the size of pints in an effort to reduce Brits’ alcohol consumption
Research published last month suggested that shrinking the drinks by a third would curb Britons’ alcohol intake and the idea is reportedly a subject of discussion in Westminster
Mr Martin’s comments came on the back of his boozers announcing expectation-busting profits in the year ending July 28. New Spoons, The Lion & The Unicorn in Waterloo, pictured
Mr Martin also slammed the thought that cutting pubs’ opening hours would cut British drinking, saying this would only encourage people to drink at home more.
He added that pubs are often a community asset which should be protected.
Last month, a study by beer-bashing boffins found Brits bought 10 per cent less alcohol when drinks were served in two-third measures.
Researchers suggested the scheme should be rolled out nationwide through legislation, claiming it could have a positive impact on public health.
Lead researcher Professor Theresa Marteau, director of the Behaviour and Health Research Unit, told MailOnline: ‘Alcohol harms health, increasing the risk of over 200 different diseases and injuries including bowel, breast and liver cancers.
‘In England it is the fifth largest contributor to early death, disease and disability, and the leading risk factor for those aged 15 to 49.’
The study saw a dozen UK pubs and bars selling their beers in two thirds of a pint with prices reduced proportionately.
But as less than one per cent of approached pubs agreed to take part in the experiment, Professor Dame Marteau added that the measures ‘would need to be part of licensing regulation’ to make sure people complied.
Since increasing the price of drinks or placing restrictions on beer sales would prove extremely unpopular, concerned scientists are keen to find other ways of slowing drinkers down.
The idea of the scheme is that, since people tend to have a set number of drinks rather than a specific volume of beer, making those drinks smaller should encourage people to drink less.
Mr Martin said that for shrinking drinks to have any effect, the same rules would have to be applied to supermarket-bought beverages
Researchers found that by swapping out the 568ml imperial pint for a smaller 379ml two-third pint serving, pub-goers drank 10 per cent less beer than they otherwise would have. Although, slightly more wine was sold than before
While the researchers had anticipated that customers would be extremely hostile to the change, the venues involved reported very few complaints.
Ash Corbett Collines, vice-chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), told MailOnline in response to the study: ‘With less than 1% of venues approached for the study agreed to trial the smaller measure, and none of the 12 pubs who did take part choosing to keep the change, the on-trade’s verdict is clear.
‘The removal of the British Pint from pubs would not encourage drinkers to embrace the sociable and supervised environment of the pub, which fosters moderate drinking. Instead, it would push people toward drinking at home.’
Likewise, Andy Slee, chief executive of the Society of Independent Brewers, told MailOnline: ‘It should be down to publicans, brewers and beer drinkers to decide the best way to enjoy a local beer.’
However, despite the obvious resistance to the introduction of the policy, the researchers maintain that their findings should be included in consideration for new regulations.
Professor Marteau says: ‘There is a trade-off to be made between improving population health by reducing alcohol consumption through effective alcohol control policies and the health of the alcohol industry.’
The Institute for Public Policy Research has previously suggested that UK deaths attributable to alcohol have risen by seven per cent in five years.
Latest NHS figures show that 23 per cent of women aged 55-64 drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week – the amount known to dramatically increase cancer risk, and chances of developing dependency.
Brits drink beer through one of the largest standard serving sizes in the world, with the imperial pint almost a third bigger than its American cousin.
At 568ml, the trusty pint also outweighs the standard serving size in Belgium (250ml), France (330ml) and even Germany (500ml).
