Beloved Manchester pub Britons Protection is rallying its supporters for a ‘peaceful public rally’ outside the Heineken Brewery on May 1st. The rally aims to raise awareness of the pub’s ongoing legal battle with the brewing giant and urge Heineken to reconsider its plans for the historic boozer.
Britons Protection has been run as an ‘Market Rent Only’ pub since 2018, which means it isn’t tied to Heineken products but must buy a certain amount of keg beer from the company. However, in 2022, as the current lease was coming to an end, Star Pubs, a subsidiary of Heineken, did not renew landlord Allan Hudd’s lease.
Landlord Hudd and his regulars fear that the lease not being renewed would give Star Pubs the opportunity to change the pub beyond recognition, potentially sacrificing its focus on local and carefully curated whiskies for a more generic Heineken-supplied pub.
Despite his lease not being renewed, Allan Hudd has continued to pay the rent to Star Pubs and stay put. To secure his status long-term and the future of the Britons as he envisions it, he will face Star Pubs in court in a battle for the right to remain as licensee.
As the court date (June 17th) nears, the team at Britons has been drumming up support. They have issued a call-out on social media, urging customers and anyone who has visited the Britons Protection to join them at the rally.
The rally’s purpose, as stated by the organizers, is to save the pub from being taken over and transformed into ‘something unrecognisable’. They aim to show Heineken that the community cares deeply about the pub and its heritage.
The Britons Protection rally has the backing of the Manchester branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), who have reaffirmed their support for the management team and staff. CAMRA hopes that ‘common sense will prevail’ at the hearing and Heineken will withdraw its opposition to the current proposals by Allan to continue his tenancy.
A spokesperson for Star Pubs said that the company is aware of the planned protest and remains committed to the future of Britons Protection. However, due to ongoing legal processes, they will not comment further at this stage.
