Keir Starmer backs call to end 10pm pub and restaurant curfew
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has reportedly backed calls to end the 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants when the hospitality industry reopens following the ongoing nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
The curfew, which forced hospitality businesses to close by 10pm, was criticised for funnelling punters into the streets and onto public transport all at once, making social distancing harder.
The beleaguered sector, which had already been severely impacted by restrictions during the pandemic, had warned that the curfew would also result in permanent closures and job losses.
Starmer said today that the curfew did not work as a method of controlling the pandemic.
“I can understand what the government was trying to achieve to be honest, but it didn’t work, and we saw people crowding out at 10 o’clock,” he told Guido Fawkes.
“There’s a smarter way of doing this and I think if you were to stagger that time differently so that people left at different times it would be far better.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan has previously slammed the curfew, claiming it may drive cases up following schemes of people cramming into packed Tube stations.
In September he called for a review of the restrictions.
He said: “Given the scenes we’ve seen across the UK of people gathering and drinking on the streets once licensed premises close, the government should carry out an immediate review of the effectiveness of this measure, including assessing any unintended consequences of increased social mixing in other settings after 10pm.”