The government has performed a dramatic U-turn, allowing pubs in England and Wales to stay open until 5am on Monday so fans can watch England's World Cup round-of-16 match against Mexico – a fixture expected to see Brits buy one million extra pints in what is set to be one of the booziest Sunday nights the country has ever seen.
The match in Mexico City kicks off at 1am UK time and is not expected to finish until at least 3am. Earlier on Thursday, business minister Kate Dearden told the House of Commons that licensing hours would not be extended further for the late kick-off, responding to a question from Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson, who warned pubs would “miss out on a real opportunity to get money in the till if ministers do not make a blanket extension”.
“Government U-turn allows pubs to stay open until 5am for England's 1am World Cup match, with 1m extra pints expected.”
But by Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had announced the U-turn. “Football might be coming home but we're making sure fans don't have to,” he said, framing the decision as good news for both supporters and pubs.
Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said the government was passing emergency legislation through parliament on Friday “so every England fan that wants to go to the pub and cheer their team on gets the chance to go”. He described it as “one of the fastest changes in the law that we've seen”, adding that the previous relaxing of licensing measures “hadn't covered the eventuality of England playing so late in the night”.
Publicans and businesses welcomed the change. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “We all know the best place to watch the match is down the local.” Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, called it “fantastic news” that would be “hugely welcomed by operators”. Greene King pubs confirmed more than 600 of its venues across England – including in Birmingham, Bristol, London, Carlisle, Liverpool and Folkestone – would stay open for the game.
The government had already extended licensing hours for the World Cup from 23:00 to 01:00 for matches with 17:00-21:00 kick-offs, and up until 02:00 for kick-offs between 21:00 and 22:00, following a six-week public consultation in December. Normally, individual pubs must apply to their local council for extended hours at least five working days in advance.
With the match now set to draw huge crowds, the question remains whether the emergency legislation will pass in time for what could be a historic night for England – and for the nation's pubs.