UK prepares for controversial licensing law
laws has been battered down by the government as the issue reaches
boiling point with only a few days to go.
The government shipped its MPs into Parliament on Tuesday to head off eleventh hour moves by Conservative and Liberal opposition parties to annul the so-called 24hr drinking law, set to be implemented next Thursday.
The opposition groups lost the vote by 302 to 228, effectively giving the government a green light to go ahead with the reforms, which will allow pubs and bars to stay open longer.
The UK's upper house, the House of Lords, voted on Monday to ask the government to postpone the introduction of the licensing law for six months.
The request is not binding and ministers have already said they will take no notice, but both votes highlight how little margin for error exists; something the drinks industry must keep and eye on.
Critics, including senior politicians and police officers, have consistently warned that extending pub opening hours will only increase Britain's binge drinking problem and lead to more drink-fuelled violence on the street.
Many opponents will be waiting in the wings, ready to pounce on the industry and the government at the first sign of trouble.
Rob Hayward, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), said predictions of 24hr pubs were wide of the mark.
"Applications for extended hours are generally for an extra hour or so on a Friday and Saturday night, from community pubs, and not from city centre locations," he said.
The BBPA previously said that about 90 per cent of pubs had applied to stay open longer under the new law. It is thought around 700 outlets have been granted the right to sell alcohol at all hours of the day.
Government culture secretary Tessa Jowell said troublemakers could expect £80 on-the-spot fines, while police will have the power to shut rowdy pubs and nightclubs for up to 24 hours.
"The new licensing laws give the police and local authorities tough new powers to deal with drunken yobbery and rogue licensees," said Licensing Minister James Purnell.
The government has also just launched a £2.5m campaign to try and curb binge drinking.
BBPA executive Hayward said the group had recently issued new standards to halt promotions that encourage binge drinking, such as doubles for singles.
"We are in discussions with the police and others on additional standards. We have a problem in society, and the industry is doing its part to help tackle the problem."
