Cheers Ma’am! Boris Johnson brings back the Crown symbol on our pint glasses for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – 18 years after the EU ordered us to remove them
- Government has launched consultation on sweeping ban on imperial measures
- From Friday pubs will be able to sell pints in glasses bearing the Crown symbol
- This is the first time since 2004 when EU Measuring Instruments directive required use of the EU-wide ‘CE mark’ to demonstrate conformity with EU rules
Pint glasses will be adorned with a Crown for the first time in nearly 20 years after Ministers axed EU rules banning the patriotic symbol.
With the country gearing up for a long bank holiday weekend to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign, the Government has launched a consultation on sweeping away the ban on imperial measures – meaning shops could once again be allowed to sell products in pounds and ounces.
Last night, the move to reintroduce the Crown – which first appeared in 1699 during the reign of William III – was hailed by Brexit Opportunities Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg as ‘a very fitting symbol of how the Queen’s realm is being returned to her people now that they have been freed from the bureaucratic Suzerain of Brussels’.
From Friday, pubs will be able to sell pints in glasses bearing the symbol for the first time since the 2004 EU Measuring Instruments Directive required the use of the EU-wide ‘CE mark’ to demonstrate conformity with EU rules.
A Government source said last night that the legal requirement to use the CE mark led to the effective removal of the Crown symbol because the UK ‘could not have two competing indications of conformity’.
Boris Johnson is determined to demonstrate a ‘Brexit dividend’ for voters since leading us out of the EU – and is equally keen to harness a political ‘bunting bounce’ after being battered by criticism over Partygate and leadership plotting against him by rebel MPs.
In anticipation of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, pint glasses will be adorned with a Crown for the first time in nearly 20 years after Ministers axed EU rules banning the patriotic symbol
Reviving imperial measures could also help the Prime Minister to win support in pro-Brexit seats, which will be vital at the next General Election. In other Jubilee developments:
The Mail on Sunday can reveal the Queen will make two appearances on the Buckingham Palace balcony despite her ongoing mobility difficulties;
- Meghan Markle’s father Thomas paid tribute to Her Majesty as he left hospital after treatment for a stroke;
- Prince William performed in a dress rehearsal for Trooping the Colour while riding a horse named George;
- A new poll revealed that the Queen has an 86 per cent public approval rating, with more than two-thirds of Britons wanting the country to remain a monarchy.
Pint glasses were first marked with a Crown more than 300 years ago to reassure suspicious customers that they were not being cheated by unscrupulous landlords trying to serve drinks in undersized glasses.
The Government will this week publish guidance endorsing the use of the symbol by businesses and will also launch a consultation on removing the legal requirement for metric units to be used for all trade purposes with only limited exceptions. Currently, imperial units are only authorised for use on their own in a small number of cases, such sales of draught beer and cider.
A Government source said: ‘We Brits measure our walks in miles and our beer and milk by the pint. Nobody knows what a four-and-a-half kilo baby looks like, but we all know a ten-pounder is a whopper.
‘It’s time we held our heads high about our long history of traditional measures.
‘And what better way to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee than restoring the Crown emblem back on to the side of pint glasses so that we can toast her health and service to this country.’
The move was welcomed by Conservative MP Sir John Hayes, the leader of the Common Sense Group.
‘This is superb news. Now that we are free from the clutches of the European Union we can realise once again our proud history and our confident future,’ he said.
‘The symbols of identity are very important in that endeavour. So let’s have Britannia and the Crown and the other symbols of our kingdom stamped all over the place. This is an entirely fitting tribute. It is just so uplifting and heart-warming.
‘Let’s make Britain again a flag-waving patriotic country and a tribute to Her Majesty’s dedicated service to our nation. This is building from our glorious past to our even more glorious future.’
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith added last night: ‘I look forward to raising a Crown of beer to toast Her Majesty’s Jubilee.’
Source: Read Full Article
