We know that Greg Mulholland valiantly stands up to the big pubcos and was part of a very successful move to give tenants more rights which resulted in one of the few Commons Government defeats of the last Parliament.

In yesterday’s Times (£), he accused the pubcos of passing on costs of duty to their tenants that they didn’t have to pay themselves.

The Lib Dem MP for Leeds North West believes that the pubcos are taking advantage of the agreement between HMRC and the brewers that duty need not be paid on, for example, four to six pints in a firkin containing 72 pints of ale.

He said that some pubcos were routinely charging their tied tenants for the full 72 pints, including the duty element, taking no account of the “undrinkable” portion. The recharging of duty on ale on which no duty had been paid was “potentially a criminal matter”.

The MP said: “HMRC must investigate why there is such widespread failure to follow its own regulations and whether there is any evidence of any pubcos charging their tenants for duty on sediment which is not drinkable and on which duty has not been paid. Trading Standards must also investigate if publicans are being charged for phantom pints.”

Mr Mulholland has long been a thorn in the side of the pubcos, accusing them of extracting high rents while using the centuries-old beer tie to charge their tenants inflated prices to supply them with beer.

I’m sure you will appreciate the totally not gratuitous use of the lovely photograph above.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings