Prime Minister Keir Starmer has intervened to allow pubs across England and Wales to stay open until 5am on Monday for the England World Cup match against Mexico. The home secretary will use legislative power to extend alcohol licensing hours on occasions of “exceptional international, national or local significance”. Communities Secretary Steve Reed is writing to council leaders to inform them of the changes.
Match timing and initial restrictions
England’s victory over the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday night secured a last-16 tie against Mexico, which is scheduled to kick off at 1am UK time and run until at least 3am. The government had previously relaxed licensing rules to account for the time difference with the US, Mexico, and Canada: for matches kicking off between 5pm and 9pm, pubs could stay open until 1am; for kick-offs after 9pm, they could remain open until 2am. To stay open beyond those times, venues were required to apply for a temporary event notice at least five working days in advance.
Government reversal after backlash
Earlier on Thursday, Business Minister Kate Dearden said the government would “unfortunately” not relax the rules for Monday’s match, stating that “pubs can stay open for an extra two or three hours depending on when the match starts. Unfortunately that doesn’t apply with the 1am start, but we are absolutely backing our pubs going forward so we can support our lads.” However, after fierce backlash from MPs, pub owners, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Starmer reversed the decision on Thursday afternoon. A spokesperson for Khan said: “The mayor is urging local authorities in the capital to work closely with the hospitality industry to allow pubs to stay open into the early hours of Monday morning, so that Londoners can back our pubs and cheer on in England as they take on Mexico.”
Impact on independent businesses
One Labour MP described the initial government response as “hopeless”, adding: “It is mostly small independent businesses [that] will be caught out by this.” Jason Cleary, who runs The Hodcarrier pub in Leamington Spa, said his application to stay open late for the potential fixture had been refused because he “didn’t give five working days’ notice”. Warwick District Council said it was legally unable to consider temporary event notices submitted outside the statutory notice period. Stella Creasy, Labour (Co-op) MP for Walthamstow, noted that “independent breweries such as those in the Blackhorse Beer Mile in Walthamstow are the lifeblood of communities like mine. Councils and ministers must find a way to sort this so they can continue to provide a fantastic fan experience and support them to help us cheer England on in our locals, not be stuck outside on the streets.”
Industry welcomes change
The hospitality sector welcomed the late change. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “Pubs and fans will be over the moon about this decision, because we all know the best place to watch the match is down the local. This tournament is hugely important for our sector, so we’re delighted the government listened to our concerns and acted so quickly. Now we can carry on being the home of live sport and welcoming fans through the door.” Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), added: “This is fantastic news and will be hugely welcomed by operators. The government has listened to the overwhelming public support for England and recognised the challenges facing pubs and licensed premises across the country.”
