"Axe the Beer Tax" campaign mascot, Mr Pinty, and friends protested outside Parliament today to urge Government to scrap plans to increase beer tax.

Mr Pinty - a new 6ft cartoon character campaigning to save the British pub - has appeared with other 6ft cartoon pint characters, representing some of the UK's best-known beer brands, in a Parliamentary protest today.

With just 2 weeks to go before the budget, the pint-sized protesters met outside Parliament with placards to oppose Government plans to impose further beer tax rises. They then visited the Treasury to deliver a campaign postcard to the Chancellor before walking down Whitehall to meet members of the public.

Since the Government imposed an 18% increase in beer tax in the Budget 2008, more than 2,000 pubs have closed with the loss of 20,000 jobs. Independent research has shown that 75,000 further jobs are threatened by Government tax increases.

More than 70,000 members of the public have joined the massive grassroots-based "Axe the Beer Tax, Save the Pub" campaign organised by pubs and beer consumers and 25,000 people have lobbied their MP since November. As a result, over 202 MPs, from all political parties, have signed a parliamentary motion (Early Day Motion 10) supporting the campaign.

In the last week alone over 10,000 people have send emails and texts to the chancellor, urging him to scrap beer tax rises.

Mr Pinty, the Axe the Beer Tax Campaign Mascot, said:

"I am protesting with my friends today to make sure the Chancellor realises how horrible he is being to our lovely British pubs. The taxman already takes more than a third of a pint in tax and in the budget they want to take even more."

"Lots of Mr Pinty's favourite pubs have been closing down since the Chancellor increased taxes last year. Mr Pinty just doesn't understand why he continues to be so mean to him and his friends. We only want to make a living."