The whole ethos of the pub would be destroyed, broadcaster and writer Carole Malone argues
If there was an award for the dumbest, most idiotic council in Britain - Westminster Council would win it hands down.
Because the policy making bozos there have decided they want to ban all "vertical drinking".
Now, you might think 'What other way is there?' because drinking horizontally would presumably mean drinking flat on your back - something not even Dynamo and all his magical powers could achieve.
But no, these bright sparks in Westminster, who must surely know hospitality is on its backside thanks to this Government’s crippling business axes and minimum wage rises, want to hammer the last nail into the coffin of our pubs by banning people from standing at the bar – or anywhere else. They want everyone sat down at neat little tables waiting to be served which would cut customer numbers and profits by half.
But it’s not just profits that would suffer, the whole ethos of pub culture would be destroyed. London never looks better than it looks now in summer with people spilling out of traditional boozers onto to the pavements drinking wine and beer under lusciously coloured hanging baskets.
But Westminster wants to stop all that. It wants to stop the fun, stop the socialising. Because that’s what pubs are all about - fun, socialising and connecting with new people. They’re for meeting mates, watching sport and enjoying the kind of atmosphere that can only be created when people from all walks of life come together in one small space with a drink in hand.
Pub culture is all about the craic but there won’t be any craic if these killjoys in Westminster get their way because everyone will be corralled at neat little tables not meeting or talking to anyone other than the people they came in with. Which isn’t what pubs are about.
Now, what I’m about to say next is a one-off thing, never to be repeated, but I’m about to praise London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, who has waded into this row with his tiny feet and slated Westminster Council for what he calls "restrictive and anti-growth policies".
And for once the little man is right. What better way to finish off pubs altogether than make everyone sit down and behave quietly and sensibly.
The Westminster mob say this is all about discouraging "excessive drunkenness".
Why can’t they see it won’t do that? What it WILL do is discourage business and customers and it’ll be the death of one of Britains proudest traditions.
Pubs matter for God’s sake. They’re social anchors for communities. They’re places where people from all walks of life come together. They’re also vital for people, who for whatever reason, might be lonely or isolated. Not to put too fine a point on it pubs the cornerstone of towns, cities and villages all over Britain and without them this country would be a duller, poorer, less sociable place.
We must protect and preserve our pub culture (and standing room) at all costs especially from those idiots at Westminster Council who have form for trying to destroy the capital city. They’ve all but decimated the once thriving Oxford Street and they’ve thwarted London’s once vibrant nightlife to the point where its dying. Now it’s coming for our pubs.
More than 366 pubs have closed in 2025 and we must not allow incompetent council nitwits to close any more.
Mayor Khan says he’ll do everything to stop this wholesale destruction of our pub culture. Let’s hope, that for once, he means what he says.
