Sir Keir Starmer is exploring options to permit all pubs to remain open throughout the night for the upcoming England-Mexico World Cup match, which kicks off at 1am on Monday. The move comes after Local Government Secretary Steve Reed urged councils to approve extended hours, but the current system leaves decisions up to local authorities.
Match Details and Licensing Challenges
England will face Mexico in the Round of 16 after defeating the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-1 on Wednesday. The match is not covered by existing measures that extend pub hours until 2am for earlier games, and it would run past that time anyway. Pubs require a temporary event notice (TEN) to show the match, as earlier licensing extensions only apply to games kicking off between 9pm and 10pm.
The Liberal Democrats called for a blanket extension of licensing hours, but Downing Street stated it is for local councils to decide. A No 10 spokeswoman said: “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.”
Council Responses and Statistics
Dudley Council approved 40 TENs for Monday’s match but noted that legislation does not allow enough time for new applications. A spokesperson said: “For the game Monday morning, 40 temporary event notices have been issued… Six were not issued after West Midlands Police issued counter notices following concerns that the premises would not be able to uphold the prevention of crime and disorder licensing objective.” Medway Council granted 14 notices but stated there is insufficient time for new submissions. Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council approved 16 notices, Reading Borough Council approved 13, and Southampton City Council approved 18.
A spokesperson for the mayor of London urged local authorities to work with the hospitality industry to allow pubs to stay open. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, raised concerns about publicans 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 Figures
Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson, who called for a blanket extension, 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… 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 called for children to stay up late to watch the match. When asked if the Prime Minister backs that call, Downing Street said: “Parents will make their own decision on that.” Sir Keir’s spokeswoman added: “We want everyone to enjoy the game but kids should be in school on Monday. 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.” Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith said she planned to take a “disco nap” on Sunday afternoon and stay up late to watch the match.
