LONDON — England may not prevail against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca tonight, but the United Kingdom’s Liberal Democratic Party thinks it has already won the week.

The third-largest party in Westminster is claiming that it delivered late pub-closing times after pressuring Prime Minister Keir Starmer to pass a last-minute law allowing pubs to remain open and keep doling out the booze during the upcoming England World Cup match.

The pub schedule became a matter of national concern of national interest after England’s first knockout victory ensured the team would be playing late Sunday — a 1:00 am kickoff in Mexico City that might not wrap up until 3:45 a.m. London time, well past last call. Local Government Secretary Steve Reed had been urging local councils to allow later closing times but some held out.

The Lib Dems proposed a national solution that would avoid a patchwork of closing times, with Lib Dem lawmaker Max Wilkinson pressing Business Minister Kate Dearden in the House of Commons on Thursday to grant a last-minute licensing extension, over the objection of Business Minister Kate Dearden.

Starmer backtracked later in the day, announcing that he would keep pubs open until 5 a.m. — by tweaking licensing rules so establishments don’t need to ask councils first. “Football might be coming home but we’re making sure fans don’t have to,” Starmer said.

But it’s the Lib Dems who want voters to credit them for the change, with leader Ed Davey posting on social media that Starmer was acting on Wilkinson’s “suggestion to keep pubs open for the football.” Emboldened, the party is now pushing another cause — a knighthood for England striker Harry Kane, subject of a parliamentary motion introduced by MP Layla Moran.

Forrás