Local councils will decide whether pubs can stay open later for England's Round of 16 World Cup match against Mexico, which kicks off at 1am on Monday. Local Government Secretary Steve Reed has urged them to approve extended hours so fans can watch the entire game.
Match Details and Licensing Issues
England qualified for the Round of 16 after beating the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-1 on Wednesday. Monday's match is not covered by previous measures that extended pub hours until 2am for England matches, and the game would run past that time anyway.
The Liberal Democrats earlier called for a blanket extension of licensing hours, but Downing Street said "it is for local councils to make those decisions." A No 10 spokeswoman stated: "The Secretary of State for Housing and Communities has written to councils to encourage them to sign off applications for pubs to extend their hours even further for these late games so that fans can enjoy the football."
Reed's Appeal and Industry Concerns
In a video posted to X, Mr Reed said: "There are still some councils that are saying no to the pubs, and my message to those councils is please say yes, do everything you can to get those doors open and the fans inside and I will back you all the way." Pubs need a temporary event notice to show the match at all, as earlier licensing extensions only apply to matches kicking off between 9pm and 10pm.
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, raised industry concerns about not getting approval. She said: "We remain in close contact with Government about concerns raised by publicans who want to show the match but haven't got Temporary Event Notices in place. It would be a crying shame for fans and pubs if our locals weren't able to host such an important match."
Political Reactions and Public Advice
Liberal Democrat Cheltenham MP Max Wilkinson, who called for a blanket extension on Thursday, said refusing would be "the worst decision since the introduction of hydration breaks." He told the Commons: "Harry Kane's heroics last night means that many England fans are looking forward to an early morning or a late night, depending on one's perspective, on Monday, and this is a good thing. But pubs risk missing out on a real opportunity to get more money into the till if ministers do not make a blanket extension for licensing hours."
England manager Thomas Tuchel has called for children to stay up late and watch the match. Asked if the Prime Minister backed the call, Downing Street said "parents will make their own decision on that." Sir Keir Starmer's spokeswoman added: "We want everyone to enjoy the game but kids should be in school on Monday."
The PM faces the same dilemma as other England fans over whether to stay up. "The PM has his usual packed schedule on Monday, so he'll be facing the same dilemma as everyone else on whether to stay up. Win or lose, I think millions of England supporters will be at work on Monday, and the PM will be doing the same," the spokeswoman said.
Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith earlier said she planned to take a "disco nap" on Sunday afternoon and then stay up late to watch the match.
