Tim Martin says the price of a pint could soon hit £8 and he hasn’t ruled out £10 in the coming months and years.
Speaking to Andrew Marr on LBC the Wetherspoons boss said there is “no limit” to how high the price of drinks could go due to pubs facing unprecedented inflationary pressures.
In 2019, he famously pledged to slash the price of booze in his pubs to an “unbelievably low” price if ex-PM Boris Johnson managed to leave the European Union successfully by October 31st.
He has become one of a number of businessmen who have had to eat humble pie following the split.
But asked about his views on Brexit, he said he has no regrets.
“I’m amazed the depth of emotion,” he says. “But I don’t think many people have changed their minds.”
“Have I regrets? No, I think, for humanity to survive, I think we need democracy. We need democracy in China. We need democracy in Russia, especially in the nuclear age – and my bones to pick with the EU is you don’t elect the president by universal suffrage and MEPs can’t initiate legislation and the ECJ, the court, isn’t accountable to Parliament.”
“So it’s a Democratic issue, not an economic one?” Marr asked.
Martin responded: “Well, I think two things go together, which a lot of Remainers won’t accept this. But I think the most powerful elixir for economics and for personal freedoms is democracy. And when you start reducing it, the level of economic performance eventually declines.”
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