No 10 urges council to 'work with' London pubs amid row over 'vertical drinking'

Downing Street has urged Westminster City Council to "work with" pub landlords amid a row over restricting standing-up drinking in London, insisting "it is British life".

It comes following a draft set of alcohol policies, published by the council, which encouraged venues to prioritise sitting areas over standing space in a bid to discourage so-called "vertical drinking".

Politics Hub: Follow the latest

However, Paul Swaddle, the Conservative leader of Westminster City Council, said "there is no plan" to stop standing-up drinking in his borough.

Mr Swaddle said the policies are currently out for public consultation, with the survey due to close on Sunday.

A No 10 spokesperson said: "Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs."

They said that new licensing powers would be devolved to the mayor of London to help provide support to the city's pubs and nightlife.

"Soho did not become world famous by taking last orders early, switching the lights off at 10 o'clock," the spokesperson added.

"The prime minister encourages local leaders to work with the industry so that pubs can continue to thrive."

PM 'a defender' of pubs

Andy Burnham has previously vowed to be "a defender" for British pubs and recently announced plans to cut business rates by 20% for pubs, clubs and live music venues across England from April next year.

The prime minister described pubs as being "at the heart of high streets" and said it was "really important to signal" at the start of his premiership that he would support them.

Mr Burnham insisted he would "speak up for them and act".

Included in Westminster City Council's draft statement of licensing policy is an intention to "discourage excessive drunkenness and encourage the provision of more seating in premises that serve alcohol for people to sit and enjoy a drink and order food by table service in place of open bar space that caters for high-volume vertical drinking".

One proposed policy is to "normally refuse" pub, bar, fast food or music venue licences in an area known as the West End cumulative impact zone – the area roughly between Oxford Street and Trafalgar Square, including Leicester Square and Soho.

"The introduction of measures to reduce the extent of, or to remove opportunities for, vertical drinking could address the underlying reasons for the policy," the document reads.

'We don't need lectures'

Mr Swaddle said he wanted "to be straight with people" and accused the press of writing "confusing stories" about what the document meant.

He said: "There is no plan, and never has been, to ban drinking while standing up in a Westminster pub."

Read more from Sky News:
Reality TV star jailed
Farmer gets life for murder

Mr Swaddle also hit back at London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who criticised the proposals on social media, writing: "You can't run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset."

The council leader said: "We don't need lectures from City Hall on backing hospitality when they have directed the police to object to every new licence application as their solution to curbing crime in the West End."

He added: "Growth is central to everything this administration is doing. That means backing our hospitality sector, not making things harder for them."

Business owners have also criticised the proposals, with one owner of a venue in Soho telling the Press Association that "we rely on those people standing up with the rents and the rates put upon us".

Meanwhile, a Conservative Party spokesperson said: "Standing inside or outside a pub with a pint in hand is a British tradition."

They also called for Westminster City Council to strike a balance between the nighttime economy and concerns from neighbours, adding: "We hope the council's consultation will recognise its importance whilst addressing any particular local issues in crowded late-night locations."

(c) Sky News 2026: No 10 urges council to 'work with' London pubs amid row over 'vertical drinking'