The Telegraph National Pub Day
Wetherspoon are supporting The Telegraph as they launch their National Pub Day (May 16). You can read the full press release from The Telegraph below.
Wetherspoon has been campainging for fairer tax for the hospitality sector for years.
Wetherspoon’s founder and chairman, Tim Martin, has said:
“The biggest threat to the hospitality industry is the vast disparity in tax treatment among pubs, restaurants and supermarkets. “Supermarkets pay zero VAT in respect of food sales, whereas pubs, bars and restaurants pay 20 per cent.
“This tax benefit allows supermarkets to subsidise the selling price of beer.
“Pubs have been under fantastic pressure for decades, because of the tax disadvantages which they have with supermarkets.
“It doesn’t make sense for the hospitality industry to subsidise supermarkets.
“A VAT cut to 12.5 per cent is needed to ensure that pubs, bars and restaurants do not continue to close, but instead thrive, invest and create new jobs.
On Thursday 17 September 2026, Tax Equality day will see Wetherspoon pubs cut the price of all food and drinks by 7.5 per cent – to highlight the benefit of a permanent VAT reduction in the hospitality industry.
The Telegraph launches National Pub Day for their Save Our Pubs Campaign
Hundreds of pubs across Britain will serve free pints of Telegraph Ale to mark The Telegraph’s National Pub Day on May 16.
This year The Telegraph has been campaigning to save Britain’s pubs, chronicling the economic pressures crippling the hospitality industry as an average of four pubs per day close in 2026.
The Telegraph has created National Pub Day to celebrate the essential role pubs play in local life and attract people back into local pubs. For communities up and down the country, pubs remain at the heart of local life, providing a place to meet with family and friends or enjoy a quiet drink at the end of a long day.
To mark the celebration, The Telegraph has teamed up with Renegade Brewery to create its own ‘Telegraph Ale’, a classic English bitter. This limited-edition brew will be served at 300 pubs across the country on 16 May.
Participating pubs across Britain can be found via an interactive tool. To claim a free pint of ‘Telegraph Ale’ (while stocks last), pub-goers will be asked to register with The Telegraph for free or login in to their existing Telegraph account.
The Telegraph also asked the public to nominate their favourite local pub to win a £5k drinks tab for National Pub Day. Over 1,200 entries were received and reviewed by an expert judging panel consisting of Amy Bryant, Telegraph Food Editor, Will Hawkes, The Telegraph’s pub expert and William Sitwell, The Telegraph’s restaurant critic and columnist.
The judges selected five winners based on their importance to the local community and include:
- The White Horse Inn, Stourpaine, Dorset
- The Five Bells, Rattlesden, Bury St Edmunds
- The Three Kings Inn, Hanley Castle, Worcester
- Brown and Blacks, Scone, Perth
- The Blacksmiths Arms, Lastingham, York
William Sitwell, The Telegraph’s restaurant critic and columnist, said: “The Telegraph’s National Pub Day is a vital moment in the year.
The winners of Save Our Pubs all share the nuggets of what makes a great pub: they are wonderful businesses; they serve great beer; they act as hubs of comfort and welcome and constantly innovate to find ways of attracting business… Pubs are not just the hub of a community, they are the beating heart of Britain.”
Please note that Wetherspoon pubs will not be participating in the free Telegraph Ale promotion.
