The Labour Party, as the natural champion of the local, has more to do to fix those smaller-scale licensing problems, but also, at the national level, to drive down operating and energy costs

Andrew Ranger is the Labour MP for Wrexham

It’s no surprise that it was one of this nation’s greatest socialists who wrote the finest essay on the classic British pub. George Orwell’s paean to his ideal tavern still shows how the cause of the pub is inherently a Labour one: community, fraternity and fun. 

In fact, pubs have directly reflected the communities in which they exist throughout history- and can continue to tell us stories about the past today. In my own constituency of Wrexham, the Royal Oak, the earliest record of which dates all the way back to the mid eighteenth century, has colloquially been known as the ‘Polish Embassy’ ever since units of the Free Polish Army were stationed in the area during the Second World War and made it their local watering hole.

Today, their role as a physical space in which the community can gather has become even more vital in an increasingly digital age with its corresponding decrease in face to face interaction. Whilst other industries move with this trend- the frequently cited example being supermarkets and their expanded use of self-service check-outs- the elderly, those who have lost family members or partners, or those who are otherwise suffering from loneliness can pop into their local for a chat. Publicans and bartenders will often know all their frequent visitors by name, and are able to put them in touch with local, informal support networks and charities when they are in need. Not for nothing did Orwell write that his favourite pub’s clientele was made up mostly of ‘regulars’ who come in for conversation just as much as the beer, and who are welcomed by staff who know all of them by name and circumstance. 

These hospitality venues are cultural anchors too, hosting local bands, and young artists and comedians at the start of their career. But they assume particular significance at times of great national importance. I speak, of course, of when the football is on. Pubs find themselves absolutely chocka with both regular sports fans and those who don’t normally watch but just want to get involved and support their national team. 

But owing to time differences when our national teams are playing abroad, the matches’ start and end times sometimes fall outside of a pub’s normal licensing hours. Under current laws, when parliament is in recess, pubs have to submit individual applications to local councils to extend their licenses. This is expensive and unnecessarily bureaucratic, but it also inevitably means that many venues don’t get the go ahead in time for the match if our team makes it all the way to the final few games. Publicans might be patriotic- but they aren’t prophets. 

This can lead to frankly absurd scenarios where they aren’t allowed to serve revellers for a significant part of the match. When the Lionesses made it all the way to the final in 2023, many venues couldn’t serve any alcohol for the first half of the game. Some couldn’t even open their doors at all. 

With the 2026 World Cup approaching, it’s high time that this process was simplified. My Private Members’ Bill, which I am bringing forward to parliament today, will give the Home Secretary the power to issue a blanket extension to alcohol licenses, without needing explicit approval from parliament. This could be used ahead of other events of national significance too, from other major sporting tournaments to royal celebrations. 

The Licensing Extensions Bill is certainly a small change. But whilst the Government is, rightly, focused on the big picture, it’s a reminder that members of parliament can, and should, put forward targeted measures to improve people’s lives in small but meaningful ways. 

After all, as another of Britain’s greatest socialist thinkers, Anthony Crosland, argued, ‘we need not only higher exports and old age pensions, but more open-air cafes, brighter and gayer streets at night, later closing hours for public houses…’

He was quite right. Though perhaps what Crosland might also have remarked were he still alive today is that these hospitality venues are helping to fund programmes like the old age pension.  The sector contributes £140 billion to the economy. Pubs alone are generating £18 billion every year in tax revenue. 

It would be remiss of me to speak of their economic impact in purely broad national terms. They are also prominent local employers. In Wrexham alone, our 78 pubs employ over one thousand people. Many employees will be young people who are either working to save money for the future, or who are actually starting a long career in hospitality. I myself began my hospitality career working as a trainee manager at a hotel.

Unfortunately, our pubs are closing down at an alarming rate. More than 400 were forced to call last orders last year. Those which remain are suffering from the repercussions from the Covid-19 pandemic, burdensome licensing and planning regulations beyond the scope of my Bill, and the cost of living crisis. 

The Labour Party, as the natural champion of the local, has more to do to fix those smaller-scale licensing problems, but also, at the national level, to drive down operating and energy costs. It is only by doing both of these things can we rescue our pubs, and prevent the profound social and economic costs of their closure. As the Prime Minister himself rightly argued at his final Conference speech before Labour’s 2024 election victory, ‘we have to be the Government that takes care of the big questions so working people have the freedom to enjoy what they love. More time, more energy, more possibility, more life.’

My Bill, should it be successful today, may be just a small measure. But it signals our support for the hospitality sector at a time when they really need it. And I have no doubt that it will be only the first change which this Labour Government will enact to champion our locals.

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