UK: Harold Wilson's government considers taking over small breweries

Harold Wilson's government considered taking over small breweries to stop them being swallowed up by their larger rivals, it has emerged. Documents newly released by the Public Record Office show that Mr Wilson was concerned about the loss of local beer producers and asked ministers to find a way of saving the independent businesses, Ananova announced.

The proposal was part of a package of ideas developed by the Government under the heading "simple things that mean a lot" aimed at attracting the interest of voters.

They included safeguarding the British pint, making May 1 a bank holiday and telling taxpayers where their money went.In a memo to the Prime Minister, written in September 1974, Alan Williams, minister of state for prices and consumer protection, said the only effective way to safeguard breweries was for the Government "to declare its readiness to acquire small brewery companies.

The papers showed that 30 out of 120 small breweries had already been taken over by major companies but successive Government officials and Cabinet Ministers raised doubts about the plan to save the remaining firms.

In a memo to Mr. Wilson, Tony Benn, then Industry Secretary, said: "To acquire shares by itself however would simply channel money into the hands of the shareholders and not put it to beneficial use for the company".

05 January, 2006