When the British monarchy or political class wants to appear as an integral and integrated part of the people they claim to represent, the recourse to visiting a pub is recurrent: like walking through markets during election time in Catalonia. From Boris Johnson to Nigel Farage; from Theresa May to Keir Starmer; from Charles III to Prince William, or also the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, they all let themselves be photographed with a pint of beer in their hands or filling one, as if they had been doing it since they were children.

35,000 bars closed in Spain between 2010 and 2023, according to data from the INE, the National Institute of Statistics. What is lost when a bar closes? This is what Hugo Subtil, an expert researcher in economic policy and professor at the University of Zurich, has studied in France.

Barcelona City Council will extend the ban on booze tours throughout the city and 24 hours a day. This was announced this Wednesday by the Deputy Mayor for Economy, Jordi Valls, who believes these types of activities—which consist of promoting alcohol consumption through a tour of a series of establishments—are not welcome in the city: "We are not interested in some travel websites presenting these tours as experiences in the city," he explained.