John Healey is a beer man. Does this spell good news for pubs?

Geoffrey Howe sipped a gin and tonic, Nigel Lawson quaffed a wine spritzer, while George Osborne and Gordon Brown stuck to mineral water. Ahead of his first Budget, one of the many decisions weighing on Chancellor John Healey’s mind will be whether to get a little squiffy at the despatch box. If he does, it could be an early signal of what lies in Healey’s red box. The Chancellor has made much of his love for ale, and pub industry lobbyists are watching to see whether he brings a pint with him on Wednesday. The thought process is that if the Chancellor delivers the Budget nursing a beer, he won’t hike costs on the pub industry while doing it. The hospitality sector is in a unique position ahead of this week’s Budget: the main tax cut they had been hoping for has already been announced. Just days into his premiership, Andy Burnham unveiled a 20 per cent cut to the business rates bill paid by pubs, clubs and music venues. Burnham, who used his first photo-op as PM to get a roun