Budget March 2023: Sarcastic reaction as chancellor says the Windsor Framework will help keep down the price of a pint of beer in Northern Ireland's pubs

He praised for the UK/EU revised Protocol, the Windsor Framework, saying it will help suppress the price of draught beer in Northern Ireland as well as GB.

He said: “In December I extended the alcohol duty freeze until August 1, after which duties will go up in line with inflation in the usual way.

"But today I’ll do something that was not possible when we were in the EU, and significantly increase the generosity of draught relief so that from August 1 the duty on draught products in pubs will be up to 11p lower than the duty in supermarkets.

"It’s a differential a Conservative government will maintain as part of a new ‘Brexit pubs guarantee’.

"British ale is warm, but the duty on a pint is frozen. And even better – even better – thanks to the Windsor Framework negotiated by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister, that change will now apply to every pub in Northern Ireland.”

​Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris tweeted this out.

These were among the responses:

Kate Hoey (@CatharineHoey): “Well well well. How kind of our own Government to treat us as equal citizens in our own country.

"Shameful that you have to make such a big deal of something that should be automatic. #Spin.”

Ted Elgar (@ElgarTed): “The fact that they have to try and highlight it shows how wrong the Windsor ‘Agreement’ is.”

Sammy Page (@SammyyPage): “I’m sure this will fix everything, really focusing on the important parts of life here.”

Dave Burn (@slaphead54): “Talk about grasping at straws!”