The Iran war will push up the prices of pints in British pubs, the head of Wetherspoons has warned. The deepening crisis in the Middle East has seen an energy price spike, driven by skyrocketing oil and gas prices amid Iran’s effective blockade of a key global trade route, the Strait of Hormuz.

Sir Tim Martin said the cost of increased energy bills will “soon end up in the price of a pint or a meal in a pub”. His comments come as new analysis suggests the energy price increases could cost the pub sector an additional £169 million a year. Wetherspoons, which has around 800 pubs, reportedly had to up some of its prices last month after earlier warning of higher-than-expected costs as a result of rising energy bills, increased wage costs and business rates.

Speaking to The Sun, Sir Tim said the current energy system is pushing businesses like pubs to pay more for their electricity.

More than 60% of many pubs’ energy bills reportedly goes towards “non-domestic” fees which the Wetherspoons chairman claimed has left boozers picking up the bill for “favoured industries” such as manufacturing and renewable energy.

Sir Tim called for a freeze on tax and cost hikes for the next 10 years to “give businesses some hope”, The Sun reports.

The Government has looked to double down on its clean energy push in response to the spike in fossil fuel prices due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Sir Keir Starmer has also announced a £53 million support package for “vulnerable” heating oil customers.

Hosting the Irish premier Micheal Martin in the White House on St Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, Donald Trump pledged that energy prices would “drop like a rock” when the Iran war ends.

Mr Trump’s criticism has gone up a level since the Labour leader resisted his calls to send warships to the region to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.