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Starmer Grants 5 am Pub Licence for World Cup Match

7/3/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reversed his stance and granted a blanket 5 am licence extension for pubs.
The extension lets pubs in England and Wales stay open until 05:00 for the England-Mexico World Cup match at 01:00 BST.
It also removes the need for venues to apply for individual temporary event notices.
Local Government Secretary Steve Reed wrote to council leaders urging approval and announced emergency legislation to back the change.

History

Historical Context

The Licensing Act 2003, passed by the UK Parliament and effective 24 November 2005, unified England and Wales’ alcohol rules and introduced flexible, potentially 24-hour, premises licences. By 2007 only 5,100 of the 176,400 licensed premises held such all-night licences, showing the law’s limited early uptake. This framework now enables authorities to grant temporary early-morning licences for major sporting events.

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Story summary

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reversed his stance and granted a blanket 5 am licence extension for pubs.
The extension lets pubs in England and Wales stay open until 05:00 for the England-Mexico World Cup match at 01:00 BST.
It also removes the need for venues to apply for individual temporary event notices.
Local Government Secretary Steve Reed wrote to council leaders urging approval and announced emergency legislation to back the change.

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