Julian Ware-Lane, Councillor for Milton Ward and Labour candidate for Southend West in the General Election, has pledged his support for pub-goers and beer drinkers in the East of England by backing CAMRA’s Election Manifesto.

CAMRA’s 187,000 members in the East of England are asking candidates to promote and celebrate Britain’s 1,540 breweries and over 50,000 pubs by considering a range of measures to help make pub-going and beer drinking more affordable for UK consumers.

Julian Ware-Lane is committed to:

·         Celebrate and promote Britain’s breweries

·         Support action to help pubs thrive

·         Represent the interest of pub-goers, beer and cider drinkers if elected into the next Parliament

Beer, brewing and pubs support nearly 900,000 jobs and contribute £23.1bn to the  economy annually. Candidates are therefore being urged to ensure the sector is not left behind in the Brexit negotiations due to take place in the coming years.

Julian Ware-Lane says: “I am proud to be speaking up for pubs and real ale. Well-run community pubs play a crucial role in local life and can have a huge impact on people’s happiness and social inclusion. If elected, I will continue to show my support in the next Parliament.”

Colin Valentine, CAMRA’s National Chairman says: “We are delighted that Julian Ware-Lane has pledged his support for beer and pubs. Pubs are a uniquely British institution which showcase our nation’s brewing tradition while providing an essential community facility for those that use them. It is therefore critical that pub-goers and beer drinkers are not left behind when it comes to negotiating Britain’s future over the coming years.”