MP Angela Rayner pledges support to help boost local pubs

She joins the more than 250,000 people who have signed the petition so far, including 527 in Ashton.

Ms Rayner is calling on the government to cut beer tax at the Budget.

With £1 in every £3 spent in UK pubs going to the taxman, British drinkers now pay 40 per cent of all beer tax across the EU, but drink only 12 per cent of the beer.

Seven in 10 alcoholic drinks served in pubs are beer, underlining how directly a cut in beer duty will help pubs.

Brewing and pubs in Ashton supports 1,161 jobs and contributes £24.6 million to the local economy.

Ms Rayner said: “Pubs are at the heart of communities across Ashton, but with three British pubs closing their doors for good every day the government should consider a cut to beer tax.

"I’m supporting the Long Live the Local campaign and calling on the Chancellor to cut beer tax at this year’s Budget to support pubs in our local communities.”

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, added: “Beer duty has increased by 60 per cent over the last 17 years and now the UK has one of the highest rates of tax in Europe.

"When over two thirds of all alcoholic drinks purchased in the pub are beers, a cut in beer tax would go a long way to protecting pubs across Ashton.

"We are very grateful to Angela Rayner for her support for the Long Live the Local campaign, and hope that the government listens to MPs across parliament and the hundreds of thousands of people across the country who are calling for a cut in beer tax to protect our pubs.”

Long Live the Local is a campaign backed by Britain’s Beer Alliance. The campaign celebrates pubs whilst educating the British public about the challenges they face, specifically a tax burden which is set to grow year on year.

The alliance consists of over 120 members, and members range from individual publicans and microbreweries to the UK's largest pub chains and international breweries.