Starmer considers letting pubs stay open for England v Mexico match after backlash

PM says ‘whole country will be backing the team’ for 1am game, as licensing hours in England and Wales extended after fierce backlash

Pubs across England and Wales will be able to stay open until 5am on Monday for the England World Cup match against Mexico, after an intervention by Keir Starmer.

The team’s win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday night booked a last-16 tie against Mexico that kicks off at 1am UK time and is due to run until at least 3am.

The home secretary will use legislative power that allows the extension of alcohol licensing hours on occasions of “exceptional international, national or local significance”. The communities secretary, Steve Reed, is writing to council leaders informing them of the changes.

Starmer said: “Football might be coming home but we’re making sure fans don’t have to. Pubs staying open till the final whistle is good news for supporters and good news for the pubs and venues that bring our communities together. The whole country will be backing the team. Come on England!”

The government had already relaxed licensing rules to reflect the time difference with the US, Mexico and Canada. For matches kicking off between 5pm and 9pm, pubs can stay open until 1am. For kick-offs after 9pm, they can remain open until 2am. To stay open beyond those times, however, venues must apply for a temporary event notice at least five working days in advance.

The business minister Kate Dearden had said on Thursday morning the government would “unfortunately” not relax the rules to cover Monday morning’s match for pubs who had not applied in time.

“Pubs can stay open for an extra two or three hours depending on when the match starts,” she said. “Unfortunately that doesn’t apply with the 1am start, but we are absolutely backing our pubs going forward so we can support our lads.”

But after a fierce backlash, including from Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, Starmer reversed this on Thursday afternoon to allow pubs to stay open.

The change followed an outcry from MPs and pub owners. 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.”

One Labour MP had earlier described the 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 had said it was legally unable to consider temporary event notices submitted outside the statutory notice period of five working days.

Stella Creasy, the Labour (Co-op) MP for Walthamstow, had also said pubs in her constituency were struggling.

“Independent breweries such as those in the Blackhorse Beer Mile in Walthamstow are the lifeblood of communities like mine,” she said.

“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.”

The hospitality sector welcomed the change later on Thursday. 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.”