CAMRA reacts to government pub closure figures: "Tip of the Iceberg"

Official Government figures have revealed that more than 200 pubs have closed across the UK in the first half of 2025, with closures accelerating amid mounting tax burdens and cost pressures on the sector.

CAMRA's own figures, which show 137 pubs lost in the first six months of the year, and 149 already gone in total this year, are broadly in line with the Government's, underlining the scale of the crisis facing the industry.

CAMRA Chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said: 

“These latest figures are yet more proof that pubs are being pushed to the brink by unfair and unsustainable tax burdens. We warned earlier this year that rising Employer National Insurance Contributions, alongside a cut in business rates relief, would hit pubs hard, and sadly we are now seeing those warnings borne out in closures on a devastating scale. Every pub that shuts its doors is a blow to jobs, communities and our cultural heritage.” 

“What makes this even more devastating is that so many of them are not just shutting their doors temporarily but being demolished or converted to other uses. CAMRA has consistently called for stronger planning protections to stop our locals being wiped out overnight. Pubs are more than just businesses; they are community lifelines. Without action in the Autumn Budget, figures like this will be just the tip of the iceberg.”

Ends

Notes to editors 

About CAMRA:

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is a not-for-profit UK consumer group.

We have been campaigning for pubs, pints and people since 1971.

Media Contact:  

CAMRA Press Office:  

press@camra.org.uk  

01727 337863 

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