A ban on 'vertical drinking'? Council killjoys have truly lost the plot, writes James Hanson

Westminster City Council’s ludicrous war against pavement pints is just the latest example of council killjoys losing the plot. The Tory-run council says it wants to crack down on so-called ‘vertical drinking’ in Soho - a ridiculous description for something every Londoner will recognise: groups of people standing outside pubs, pint in hand, after a long day at work.

Who exactly does Westminster Council think it’s helping here? It isn’t the pub-goers, almost all of whom will consider the practise a time-honoured London tradition. And it certainly isn’t the pubs themselves, who are struggling to stay open as it is given their rising cost pressures. Perhaps they think they’re helping local residents? But might I politely suggest that if you choose to live in the heart of London’s West End, you should factor in that it might get a bit busy.

There’s a wider issue here. London’s licensing laws are absurdly restrictive. Try finding a pint in the city centre much beyond half ten at night. Unless you visit a private members club, casino or nightclub, it can be nigh-on impossible to find somewhere still open. That means audiences spilling out of West End theatres have nowhere for a post-show drink, and anyone finishing work late has nowhere for a nightcap. If New York is the city that never sleeps, London is semi-comatose long before midnight.

Making matters worse is the Soho Society, a preposterous bunch of nimbys who recently announced they’ll object to all new licensing applications for bars and restaurants, including renewals. All of them. Every single one.

I don’t often agree with Sadiq Khan, but London’s mayor was right when he posted the following on social media: ‘Complaining about nightlife when you *checks notes* choose to live in Soho is like living in South Kensington and complaining about the museums. Or moving to Hackney and grumbling about creatives. Living in Richmond and hating green space. It’s all getting a bit silly, isn’t it?’

Number 10 has now waded into the debate, saying busy pubs are part of ‘British life’ and make up ‘thousands of jobs’, adding ‘Soho did not become world famous by taking last orders early, switching the lights off at 10 o’clock.’

Quite right, too. And while the council disputes the characterisation of its policy as a ban, it clearly states that more weight will be given to those venues which ‘demonstrate meaningful reductions in actual operating capacity’. In other words, they do want to make it harder to enjoy outside pints after all.

At some point we need to have a serious conversation in this country about the bureaucratic overreach and power-crazed local authorities who’ve forgotten who they really serve. With any luck, Westminster City Council will quickly realise the error of their ways and drop this absurd and damaging policy. Then we can all go down the pub to celebrate.

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