Guido will be in the Westminster Arms tomorrow Thursday morning. Bit early even for Guido you might think, this however is for a good and noble cause: the launch of the Save the Pub campaign to to promote a Great British tradition and oppose plans to increase beer tax.

Coronation Street barmaid Michelle Connor (real name Kym Marsh formerly of Hear’Say) will join publicans and CAMRA to lend her support by pulling pints for “special guests” including Guido.

As pleasurable a prospect as this is, Guido would rather it was not necessary, however the British beer and pub industry is under severe and sustained pressure from Alistair Darling:

Tax is a third of the price of a pint of beer.

Sales of beer in pubs are now at their lowest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

36 pubs are closing every week.

More than 44,000 jobs have been lost from the industry between 2000 and 2005.

Economic slowdown and Darling’s announcement of yet another increase in duty yesterday – on top of plans to increase the tax on beer above inflation next year and for the next three years is piling on the pressure on pubs. Guido is single-handedly doing everything he can to help…