We expect businesses to be socially responsible, but when does it go too far?

Any interventions propelled by a social good need to co-exist with the core service and complement the offering and not feel forced upon the end user, writes Caroline Bullock

The toppled statue of Edward Colston lies on display at a museum in Bristol (Getty)

Interesting times at the Red Lion in Bristol, an otherwise unremarkable boozer now in the limelight for being “Britain’s wokest pub”.

Coca-Cola, Heineken and Thatchers cider have been cancelled due to the brands’ collective “dubious history” spanning water pollution in developing countries, alleged unethical practices in Africa and links to slave trader Edward Colston, respectively.

Those unacquainted with Colston’s conduct in the 17th century and simply denied their preferred tipple are aggrieved; it’s one of those flashpoints that flare up intermittently as social and political agendas seep more deeply in the retail and hospitality sphere, affecting what can reasonably be expected in a given scenario – such as drinking Coca-Cola and Heineken in a pub.