It looks like the public still has faith in the power of the pint. Polling reveals that 41% of the British public are more likely to view politician as in touch with the local community if they frequent the pub. That’s good news for Nigel Farage. No wonder Sunak and Starmer are so keen to be seen pulling pints…

A majority of the public agrees that pubs “bring people together who have different political views and provide a space for them to be discussed openly” while 31% feel they will play a key role in influencing swing voters in the election – time for politicians to head to get to work. Guido, for his part, has had many a frank and robust debate in Westminster’s watering holes…

This comes as new research reveals 7,248 pubs are expecting to go out of business in the next 12 months – that’s a whopping 16% of the total in the UK. Four fifths of pubs say a cut to alcohol duty would boost business and increase their chances of survival. On top of that are the 13,000 jobs the UK Spirits Alliance says are dependent on the industry. More pressure on Hunt to ease up on local pubs come the budget…