Our Branch Chair, Ryan, joined manager Paula at the Bird in Hand (Wordsley) this afternoon as she passionately lobbied local MP Mike Wood about this government's unfair and illogical attack on the hospitality sector. Like many other pubs in our area, a lot of time and money was spent to make the Bird a safe and controlled environment only to be let down by policies with no evidence underpinning them.

Mike, as always, was extremely sympathetic to the challenges being faced by the hospitality sector at this time and is determined to pressurise health officials to share data to justify the new Tier systems - that's if any exists of course. That said, we should be under no illusion that the new restrictions will be voted for in parliament next week regardless.

Pub owner Paul was equally firm in setting out the need for a stronger and more effective financial deal for pubs to ensure we have a thriving pub sector in the months and years ahead.

Ryan expressed his disappointment to Mike as to why - eight months into a pandemic - such damaging decisions were still being taken based on a theoretical risk, rather than a proven risk of transmission.

Sadly, this is confirmation that advisers and decision-makers at the heart of the response to this pandemic believe (rightly or most probably wrongly) that killing the hospitality industry is the answer.