A Holyrood committee has rejected a campaign to give pub tenants a better deal with landlords.
In Scotland, around 750 pubs are "tied" to a particular brewery or company, meaning tenants rent from pub owners with an obligation to purchase alcohol from a particular firm.
Scottish Labour MSP Neil Bibby had hoped his plan would create a statutory pubs code to regulate the relationship and set up an independent adjudicator to enforce the code.
Bibby argued tied pub tenants in Scotland would gain statutory protection, with restrictions eased on the range of drinks they can stock.
But in a report today, SNP and Conservative members of Holyrood’s economy committee outnumbered Labour and Green MSPs and turned the plans down at the first stage. The proposals will still have to come before the full Scottish Parliament, but it is unlikely the combined weight of SNP and Conservatives will be overturned.
Responding to the decision by the scrutiny committee, Bibby said: "The SNP-Tory majority on this committee got it wrong. Their report flies in the face of the evidence placed before them.
"Scotland's tied publicans were getting a raw deal before the pandemic and now they are in crisis. Now, more than ever, we need to intervene to support publicans.
"This Bill would re-balance the relationship between tied tenants and the big PubCos at a critical time. The committee's failure to comprehend, never mind endorse, reform is a slap in the face for Scotland's tied publicans."
Bibby said the committee had sided with big multinationals while pub tenants in England and Wales have statutory protection. Six MSPs voted against the plan, with two supporting it. One Tory abstained from the vote.
Deputy committee convener Willie Coffey, an SNP MSP, said: "Pubs play an integral role in Scotland's economy and local communities. The existential challenges that they have faced over the last six months cannot be downplayed. It is therefore vital that tied pub arrangements are beneficial for both tenant and pub-owner, both now and in the future.
"While the committee commend the intentions behind this Bill, the majority felt there was a lack of hard independent evidence which suggested that a widespread imbalance exists.
"The committee believes that primary legislation is not needed and therefore do not agree to the general principles of the Bill.
"However, a minority of the committee did agree that there is an imbalance in the relationship between pub tenant and landlords and felt that the proposed legislation could be part of the solution."
The proposals were supported by groups including the Scottish Licensed Trade Association and the GMB union. But the Scottish Beer & Pub Association previously warned Bibby's plan could have the opposite effect and pose a "real danger" to the sector.
