Pubs face being forced to close early under 'nanny state' measures to tackle harmful drinking
24 September 2024, 01:14
Pubs face being forced to close their doors early under 'nanny state' measures to tackle harmful drinking.
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Public health minister Andrew Gwynne said the government was looking into "tightening up the hours of operation" of bars and pubs.
It comes in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour and boost health.
Speaking at the Labour conference in Liverpool, Mr Gwynne said the government's chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, had told ministers that, if trends continue, 60% of the NHS budget will be spent on diseases that could have been prevented.
Mr Gwynne said Labour is "not the fun police" nor "supernanny" but the measures were being considered for moral and economic reasons.
The proposal comes just a month after the government's plans to ban smoking in beer gardens and outside restaurants were revealed.
"These are discussions that we have got to have – even if it’s just about tightening up on some of the hours of operation; particularly where there are concerns that people are drinking too much," Mr Gwynne said.
The PM has created a health mission board, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting as chairman, which is said to be working on a five-point plan to deal with smoking, obesity, alcohol, inactivity and clean air.
"Alcohol harm is one of the key areas: the availability of alcohol, the harms that over-drinking does, domestic violence, the licensing laws," Mr Gwynne said.
He added: "Actually there is a big win for the Home Office because a lot of domestic violence they have to deal with is as a direct consequence of alcohol."
When asked about Professor Whitty's position on changes to licensing hours, Mr Gwynne said: "He is very keen that there is a refresh of the licensing laws."
According to the Telegraph, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said: "We welcome any move by this government to reduce alcohol harm using evidence-based policies such as tackling licensing hours.
"However, this must include off-trade premises as well as pubs and bars. It is scandalous that a bottle of vodka can still be bought at 2am in a petrol station.
"We would also encourage government to take action through duty rises and minimum unit price to tackle the bargain-basement cost of alcohol in our supermarkets and off-licenses, which is the main driver of the 30 per cent increase in alcohol-specific deaths since before the Covid pandemic."
Chief executive of UKHospitality Kate Nicholls said licensing reforms had not been discussed with the sector.
"As the Deputy Prime Minister said, when businesses thrive, the economy thrives," she said.
"That means cutting barriers to growth, not creating them, and fostering positive dialogue between government and businesses.
"The last thing anyone needs are half-baked plans thrust upon them, to the detriment of trading."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "It is categorically untrue that the government is considering changing alcohol licensing hours."
