The U.K. government will keep the Pubs Code in England and Wales.

The UK government has decided to keep the Pubs Code in place in England and Wales and strengthen it, prompting a guarded welcome from the Campaign for Real Ale, or CAMRA, which said on Monday that the move addresses some long-running concerns over the beer tie but falls short of wider changes it wants to see.

CAMRA Chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said the consumer group was pleased the code would remain in force, arguing that it is still needed in a market where large brewers and major pub-owning businesses have significant influence over what beer reaches pubs and on what terms. He said CAMRA now wants to see the details of the government’s planned changes, especially on whether more tied pub tenants will be able to challenge the beer tie.

The Pubs Code is the main set of rules governing the relationship between large pub companies and tenants in tied pubs in England and Wales. In a tied arrangement, a tenant usually has to buy some or all beer, and sometimes other drinks, through the pub company or its approved supply chain. Supporters of the system say it can reduce entry costs for tenants, but critics say it can limit choice and raise wholesale costs. That makes the code important not only for pub operators, but also for brewers, distributors, and drinkers, because it can shape access to taps and fridges, the range of beers sold in pubs, and the margins available across the on-trade.

CAMRA said ordinary drinkers are being denied choice and value by global brewers that dominate the UK beer market, including through the way beer is supplied to pubs. Corbett-Collins said the current market remains “supply-led” and argued that licensees, independent brewers, and consumers all lose out when access to pubs is tightly controlled by large suppliers.

The group’s response shows that the government’s announcement, while welcomed, is likely to keep pressure on ministers to go further. CAMRA said it wants “bolder reforms,” including guest beer rights for tied tenants. Such a change could allow more tied pubs to stock at least one beer from outside their tied supply arrangement, a step that campaigners say could widen consumer choice and create more routes to market for smaller breweries. If adopted, that could affect competition in the beer trade by opening more space for independent producers and changing the balance of pricing power in pub supply agreements.

CAMRA also urged the Department for Business to publish the outcome of a separate review into access to the beer market for independent brewers. That request points to a broader issue beyond tenant protections alone: whether smaller brewers can compete fairly for pub business in a market where supply contracts, distribution networks, and pub ownership structures can make it difficult to secure listings.

The government’s detailed plans were not set out in CAMRA’s statement, and it remains unclear what legal or regulatory changes will be made to strengthen the code, how widely any new rights would apply, or when they would take effect. Those details will matter to tied tenants weighing whether they will have more leverage in supply disputes, and to brewers trying to judge whether future reforms might improve access to pub bars.

The review also matters because the beer tie sits at the center of how beer moves through the pub sector. Any change to the rules can influence the prices pubs pay, the products they are allowed to sell, and the profitability of both landlords and producers. For a drinks industry already shaped by tight margins and competition for shelf and tap space, even modest regulatory adjustments can have broader effects on distribution and market access.

CAMRA framed the government’s decision as a first step rather than a final answer. The group said it was waiting to see whether the promised strengthening of the code will translate into meaningful new rights for tenants and whether ministers will also act on the separate question of independent brewers’ access to the market.