Starmer allows pubs to stay open until 5am for England v Mexico match

England's victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday evening secured a last-16 tie against Mexico, which will kick off at 1am UK time and run until at least 3am. The government had initially relaxed alcohol licensing rules, allowing pubs to stay open longer depending on kick-off time: for matches starting between 5pm and 9pm, pubs can remain open until 1am; for later kick-offs, until 2am. However, to stay open beyond those hours, venues had to apply for a temporary event notice at least five working days in advance, which many pubs had not done as they did not anticipate England reaching this stage.

Business minister Kate Dearden said on Thursday morning that the government would "unfortunately" not relax the rules further to cover Monday morning's match. But after fierce backlash, including from London mayor Sadiq Khan, Starmer decided on Thursday afternoon to allow pubs to stay open until 5am. The home secretary will use legislative power to extend licensing hours on occasions of "exceptional international, national or local significance". Communities secretary Steve Reed is writing to council leaders informing them of these changes.

Starmer said: "Football might be coming home but we're making sure fans don't have to. Pubs staying open til the final whistle is good news for supporters and good news for the pubs and venues that bring our communities together. The whole country will be backing the team. Come on England!"

The hospitality sector welcomed the change. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: "Pubs and fans will be over the moon about this decision, because we all know the best place to watch the match is down the local. This tournament is hugely important for our sector, so we're delighted the government listened to our concerns and acted so quickly."