Your article by Nils Pratley reviewing the knighthood given to Tim Martin (Don’t rise to the Brexit bait – Wetherspoon’s boss deserves his gong, 2 January) briefly outlines the benefits that his Wetherspoon pub chain has brought to local high streets.
As someone strongly opposed to both the honours system and Tim Martin’s support for Brexit, I nevertheless feel it important to acknowledge the revolution he has brought to the British pub.
As many pub chains moved their businesses from brewing to property, the prices of drinks rose dramatically. Today in most London pubs, the price of draught bitter is in excess of £6 a pint, while in a Wetherspoon it is less than £3.
On top of this, the toilets in Wetherspoons are clean, as are their tables, a rarity in traditional pubs. In a Wetherspoon you get a coffee with unlimited free refills for £1.50, and the heating is on during the winter.
As someone who values the role of the pub in my life, I will continue to visit his pubs to read my Guardian, while accepting that Sir Tim and I have political differences.
Peter Walker
Wimbledon, London
• I normally find myself agreeing with Nils Pratley. But not this time. Does our nation really need to give a knighthood to someone for running a chain of pubs and making a lot of money from them? Please note: I write as someone who is quite partial to Wetherspoon’s gammon, egg and chips.
David Head
Peterborough
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