World Cup pavement pints enhance to England’s pubs as Starmer makes ‘purple tape’ vow
Pubs will be allowed to serve pavement pints during the World Cup, the government has announced, with millions of extra pints set to be served during the tournament
Councils have been told to approve applications from pubs during the World Cup(Image: PA)
Pubs should be allowed to serve pavement pints during the World Cup, Keir Starmer has said.
The government has also confirmed that beer gardens will be able to host special screenings of matches in the evenings. Town halls have been ordered to ditch red tape to give boozers in England a boost during the tournament, which starts on Thursday.
Pubs are expected to sell millions of extra pints, with the extra takings providing a huge boost for struggling venues. The Prime Minister told The Sun: ““Nothing brings us all together like a World Cup summer and cheering on England in a packed pub with everyone glued to the game. Red tape should not get in the way of fans enjoying the game with friends and local pubs doing a great trade too.
“A pavement pint in the sunshine discussing the agony of penalties and soaking up the atmosphere is what pubs are all about and we are backing them. Let’s hope we get a summer of fans enjoying great England wins on the big screen in packed pub gardens.”
The guidance will make it easier for pubs to serve drinks and food outdoors. Venues have previously been told that they will be able to open late for all the World Cup knock out rounds and every game involving England and Scotland.
Communities Secretary Steve Reed has told councils they should approve all applications by pub that want to open late and serve customers outdoors.
He said: “The last thing any of us want to see is people being turfed indoors halfway through penalties. So let’s show the fun police the red card, get behind England and back our pubs. This time, it really could be coming home.”
If England make it to the final, pubs are set to serve a bumper 55 million extra pints. For each pub across the country, that translates to the average venue selling an additional 1,240 pints, or an extra 14 kegs across the tournament.
The Mirror has been a long champion of the industry’s cause through its Your Pub Needs You campaign. With so many pubs having closed in recent years, owners and tenants are relying on England captain Harry Kane and the squad to score a much needed boost.
