Member

The noble Lord made a number of comments about pubs. We recognise that pubs are the heart of our communities. In fact, when I went to my local pub the week before last, I could not get in. That was not because it would not let me in, as I know some Conservative Members have said; it was because it was absolutely packed to the gunwales, and there was no more space. There are other hostelries available in Stevenage, luckily, so I went elsewhere. Pubs are very much at the heart of our communities. We want them to thrive. Since the pandemic, they have faced tough conditions: we know that. As the industry has said repeatedly, this is not about one issue; it is a range of challenges, including rising costs.