The government has ruled out extending pub opening hours on Sunday night to allow fans to watch the England v Mexico World Cup game which kicks off at 1am UK time in Mexico City.
In the House of Commons, Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson asked if it would consider extending licensing laws on Sunday “so fans can enjoy the game in the pub”.
“Pubs will miss out on a real opportunity to get money in the till if ministers do not make a blanket extension for licensing hours”, Wilkinson said.
The government has already relaxed laws to accommodate matches beginning later in the evening but Business Minister Kate Dearden said they would not be extended further for a 1am start.
“Pubs can stay open for an extra two to three hours depending on how late the match starts so pubs can still open as the game finishes,” she said.
“Regarding Sunday, unfortunately that doesn’t apply with the 1am start but going forwards we are absolutely backing our pubs so people can watch and support our lads, and it’s coming home hopefully”
In April, the government relaxed licensing rules so England and Scotland fans could watch matches in the pub.
Licensing hours were extended from 11pm to 1am for games with kick-offs from 5pm up to 9pm.
Additionally, pubs can stay open until 2am for kick offs after 9pm and up to 10pm.
Outside of those rules, pub can apply to their local council for what is called a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) to stay open late.
However, it must be submitted no later than five working days beforehand, leaving it too late for pubs to apply on Thursday.
Some establishments had plotted England’s potential progress through the tournament and have already applied for and received an event notice.
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “We remain in close contact with government about concerns raised by publicans who want to show the match but haven’t got TENs in place.
“It would be a crying shame for fans and pubs if our locals weren’t able to host such an important match.”
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