Pub opening hours to change with punters able to drink later in huge shake up

Keir Starmer said he was backing pubs and bars to thrive with a bid to rip up licensing rules as he praised the Mirror's campaigning to save our struggling boozers

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Pubs could stay open longer, and host gigs and food pop ups as Keir Starmer praised the Mirror for its campaign to save Britain's struggling boozers.

The Prime Minister is promising to slash red tape holding pubs back, by ripping up strict rules that make it hard for locals to serve food outdoors, hold live music events, or even stay open due to noise complaints.

A four-week review will hear from communities, landlords, and punters on licensing rules after a task force recommended a shake-up of the rules.

Extended hours would be subject to approval from councils but the Government will urge them to consider the impact on the night-time economy and supporting responsible businesses, along with public safety concerns.

Mr Starmer told the Mirror: "Pubs are the pride of Britain and this is a win for the Mirror and its readers, who have rightly shone a spotlight on just how vital they are to our communities.

“Too many great locals are being strangled by outdated rules. That’s why I’m scrapping red tape to let pubs thrive again.

“More live music, more outdoor food and longer hours, with less hassle for landlords and more fun for punters.

“I still go to my local for a pint and I want everyone to have one worth going to. This Government is on the side of pubs and this is just the start - let’s back our locals and bring the buzz back to Britain’s boozers."

The Mirror is campaigning to support the industry with its Your Pub Needs You crusade.

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We are calling for a government fighting fund for pubs, recognition for bars going above and beyond for their community, and support for groups wanting to buy their local.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) estimated in the summer that 378 pubs will shut in 2025 across England, Wales and Scotland - on top of 350 lost last year.

The BBPA's Emma McClarkin said: “These are important changes that will help deliver a more balanced licensing regime and support growth in the years to come.

“Our pubs and the brewers that support them are key for job creation and vibrant high streets, so the Government’s next move must be to address the immediate and highly challenging fiscal pressures on the sector by delivering significant business rates reform, mitigating punishing employment costs, and cutting beer duty.”

Kate Nicholls, Chair of UKHospitality, hailed the move but said it was not a "silver bullet" to fix the massive pressures on the industry.

She said: “While we have grasped this once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise the licensing system, we continue to call for material change to reduce the sector’s cost burden at the Budget.”

It follows a probe by the Government's licensing taskforce, which included a proposal to remove the hard-copy local newspaper advertising requirement, when a manager wants to set up a premises or alter their licence.

The move could strike a hammer blow to local newspapers and cause harm to community cohesion, according to the News Media Association (NMA).

NMA chief executive Owen Meredith said: “Pubs and local papers go hand in hand. They are community hubs, rooted in place, fostering connection, and acting as a glue that binds neighbourhoods together.

“Yet the government’s highly misguided proposals for removing alcohol licensing notices from local papers - shrouding alcohol licensing applications in secrecy - will absolutely do nothing to help pubs and hospitality venues.

"Instead, local community cohesion will be irreparably damaged by making decisions around hospitality venues less transparent, ultimately harming both pubs and local papers. Peter Kyle must change course and commit to keeping alcohol licensing notices in local papers."