OFFICIAL BEER OF THE OLYMPICS

That this House expresses its disappointment that Heineken lager, a mass produced non-British beer, has been chosen as the official beerof the London 2012 Olympics, despite beer being the UK's national drink and with the UK being one of the world's leading brewing nations; notes that the London 2012 Olympics is an excellent opportunity for the nation to showcase to the world the best of British, which could and should have included a British beer as the official beer of London 2012; further notes that a British brewed beer would be far more appropriate than a Dutch beer for the London Olympic Games; deems this a wholly inappropriate decision based purely on the size of Heineken's cheque book, and totally at odds with the strong emphasis on British character and identity at the heart of both the original bid and the preparations for the forthcoming London Games; and calls on the Government to ensure that any further opportunities to showcase British produce to the rest of the world are not lost to non-British companies purely for financial benefits.