IT looks as if Rishi Sunak’s slick PR machine has left publicans and brewers feeling very bitter.

Mr Sunak wished to present the tax changes as a great boon for pubs, as draught beer will now be 11p a pint cheaper than in supermarkets.

Pubs are a focal point of our communities and deserve supporting, but, for all the spin, yesterday’s changes aren’t really about pubs. The changes are really about health because, for the first time, a drink – be it wine, spirits or beer – is taxed according to its strength. This is actually a sensible idea, which could nudge drinkers away from the loopy juice and which could acknowledge the growing popularity of low alcohol drinks.

But average alcohol duty is going up 10.1 per cent, which will be on all the other drinks pubs sell beyond draught beer. Strong bottled beers and wines, which are increasingly popular as people appreciate the craft behind them, will be hit by big rises, and this will not help pubs one bit.

Although there is a small breweries relief for those that produce beer of less than 8.5 per cent strength, it seems the artisan distillers of craft gin and whisky are going to get walloped. These drinks are hugely popular at the moment, and they are produced by small local businesses, which need nurturing, and are sold in specialist pubs, which are important to the high street.

The health message of encouraging people to reduce their intake of alcohol has been lost as Mr Sunak’s PR operation was all about him being the saviour of local pubs, whereas the Government hasn’t done enough to protect the good small local businesses that fear they are going to be most hit. That’s why yesterday’s launch left such a bad taste in the mouths of many.