Prince William: I love pubs - we must protect them

The Prince of Wales has declared his love for Britain's pubs, saying they must be protected and supported.

William made the comments on a visit to the Prince of Peckham in south London, where he pulled a pint and tried the establishment's jerk chicken.

"I could stay here forever," the royal said as he met regulars at the bar, which is working to bring the local community together over a cuppa with its "Chatty Patty" programme.

"I love pubs," he added. "I want to do as much as I can to support them because I love the community.

"We need to protect our pubs."

Critics of the government's tax rises say they have put the future of the country's pubs at risk.

Around two pubs closed each day in the first three months of the year, according to industry figures.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said 161 had shut their doors for good in that period, equating to about 2,400 job losses. It blamed tax increases and rising labour costs, including the increase to the minimum wage.

After criticism of her budget last autumn, Rachel Reeves announced pubs would receive business rates support to help them cope.

The owner of the Prince of Peckham, Clement Ogbonnaya, said pubs were "very underused spaces" that were key to bringing communities together.

He established his business in 2017 as an inclusive "public house for all".

Mr Ogbonnaya said William had "come down here and put something like Chatty Patty on the map".

"We want Chatty Patty to exist not just in Peckham but all around London," he added.

"The key thing he was talking about was how do we, because there are a lot of disenfranchised young black Britons in the country, how do we address that – how do we get more of these spaces with all of this energy, all this love and enthusiasm throughout the whole of London."

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William was left satisfied with his attempt at pulling a pint and said of the jerk chicken: "It blew my mind. I'm hoping Deliveroo can deliver this to Windsor."

He also visited the nearby Pecan charity, which provides support to those experiencing loneliness and a lack of job opportunities and runs a foodbank.

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