Tories call for 24-hour drinking delay
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis has called on the Government to delay the introduction of 24-hour licensing – until binge drinking is under control.
From 7 February, pubs and clubs will be able to apply for extended licensees which will then come into effect from November.
The Government argues that allowing a liberalisation of the drinking laws will avoid trouble spots developing when clubs and pubs spill out on to the streets at the same time. It also suggests that the majority of the population should have the right to drink responsibly and has promised a crack-down on problem premises and trouble makers.
But, the Conservatives are calling for the liberalisation to be suspended until binge-drinking is brought under control.
Home affairs spokesman, David Davis, warned that 24-hour drinking was an inadequate response to the apparent binge drinking epidemic in Britain.
The consequences of binge drinking were clearly very serious, he said, leading to “fights, intimidation, shop windows smashed in, communities vandalised”.
Mr Davis said a minority of intoxicated troublemakers were hell bent on turning town centres into “no-go” areas.
Until binge drinking was “conquered”, he argued, the Government should think twice.
“Tony Blair has had seven years to sort out binge drinking – but the problem is only getting worse. Under Labour the number of people cautioned or found guilty of selling alcohol to youngsters under 18 has fallen by half,” Mr Davis said.
“Only the Conservatives will take action to tackle binge drinking head-on by enforcing zero tolerance policing and giving local authorities the power to deal with problem premises.”
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Question Time on Wednesday, Tony Blair told MPs it was illiberal to deny the majority of Britons the right to drink whenever they wanted because of a “tiny minority” of violent binge-drinkers.
“We should have the same flexibility that other countries have and then we should come down really hard on those who abuse that freedom and don’t show the responsibility,” he said.
