BREWERY bosses who axed Matthew Brown will come under bitter attack tomorrow for repeating the same "callous asset stripping" in Nottingham and Halifax.

Labour MP John Heppell will claim that the latest closures are a re-run of the broken promises and final closure of Blackburn's Lion Brewery.

Ironically the Matthew Brown beers are now made at the Home Brewery, in Mr Heppell's Nottingham constituency, which is now to close.

Mr Heppell is furious at the decision by Scottish and Newcastle Breweries to close Home Brewery and the Webster's Brewery in Halifax, which brews the Wilson beers formerly produced in Manchester, as a result of the takeover of Courage.

He will demand an explanation of why S and N was allowed to form Scottish Courage with its fellow brewing giant.

Mr Heppell is consulting Blackburn MP Jack Straw for the details of the Matthew Brown saga.

Mr Heppell will bitterly complain at the decision by the Department of Trade and Industry not to refer the takeover to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in defiance of a recommendation to do so from the Director General of Fair Trading.

The Newcastle born MP - who will raise the issue in a special half hour debate at the end of this week's Commons business - said: "I shall criticise S and N's management style which callously disregards the interests of the workforce and the tastes of local drinkers. "We have seen all this before with Matthew Brown. They acted in secrecy over this whole issue.

"They were intent on asset stripping."

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