by Pubs could soon be forced to close their doors under “nanny state” measures to target harmful drinking.
Seeking to bring back the “Continental coffee-style drinking culture” introduced by Sir Tony Blair, Andrew Gwynne, the public health minister, said the Government was considering “hours of operation tighter” bars and pubs.
Mr Gwynne said ministers were examining the idea as part of efforts to improve health and tackle anti-social behaviour.
Professor Sir Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, has told ministers that if current trends continue, 60 per cent of the NHS budget will be spent on preventable diseases. The current figure is 40 percent.
The crackdown on drinking is being considered alongside measures to target obesity, including pressure on the food industry to reduce the amount of fat, sugar and salt in everyday foods.
Insisting Labor had no “fun police” or “supernanny”, Mr Gwynne said the case for such measures was both moral and economic.
He said the state of poor health in Britain was “morally unfathomable” and that “there is clearly not enough money” for the NHS to cope with rising demand without such actions.
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer said Labor was considering a ban on smoking in pub gardens, despite warnings it could be the pub’s “death knell”.
Speaking at the Labor Party conference, Mr Gwynne said: “These are discussions we need to have – even if it’s just to tighten some of the operating hours; especially when there are concerns that people are drinking too much.”
Chris Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said the move was at odds with the introduction of laws allowing pubs to apply for 24-hour drinking licenses under Sir Tony’s government.
“The last Labor government’s decision to relax the licensing laws was a huge success but it looks like the new Government wants to screw up pubs as much as possible,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, said a shift to disease prevention rather than treatment was key to avoiding the need for tax rises, arguing the public were “ahead” of politicians in seeking measures to protect their health.
The Prime Minister has created a health mission board, chaired by Mr Streeting, where ministers from other departments are asked to assess the health benefits and risks of all their policies.
Mr Gwynne said the board was working on a five-point plan, which would include smoking, obesity, alcohol, inactivity and clean air, ahead of the spending review.
He said: “Alcohol harm is one of the main areas: the availability of alcohol, the harms of excessive drinking, domestic violence, the licensing laws.”
The Minister said a push down on licensing hours could reduce crime as well as improve health.
“It’s really a big win for the Home Office because there’s a lot of domestic violence they have to deal with as a direct result of alcohol,” Mr Gwynne said.
Asked about Prof Whitty’s views on abstinence in licensing laws, he said: “He is very keen to see the licensing laws renewed”, with alcohol-related deaths increasing by a third since 2019.
However, a spokesperson for the Department of Health denied that any changes to licensing hours were being considered.
But the hospitality industry said any restriction on licensing hours would be “half-baked” and could lead to even more closures at a time when 50 pubs were closing each month.
Mr Snowdon said: “We are already closing 50 pubs a month and moving to ban outdoor smoking and restricted hours will put more at risk.
“The full support of Ministers for nanny state measures is a cause for great concern and should be opposed in order to protect the heritage of this country.”
The Government had two meetings of its health mission board, of which Mr Streeting is the chairman.
His public health minister said that Professor Whitty set out at the first meeting “in particular the challenge facing the Government”.
Mr Gwynne said: “To put it right, there is not enough money to keep up with the rate of demand.
“Currently 40 per cent of the NHS budget is spent on preventable diseases – the result. If we just keep putting more money into it, facing the demographic challenges, it rises to 60 percent. That is not sustainable now.”
Professor Whitty’s presentation showed that women in poorer areas only have a life expectancy of 70, compared to 80 in more affluent parts. It also showed that people in the poorest areas fall into poor health by the age of 52.
Mr Gwynne said: “That’s a moral scandal but it’s also madhouse economics.
“That’s why Wes [Streeting] that says we are not in the game to be the fun police, or ‘supernanny’ trying to stand down all the fun things in life.
“This is really an economic argument and a moral argument that it is not sustainable and that it is morally understandable that someone in poor health at the age of 52 falls down with a completely preventable disease.”
The Labor MP said he wanted to see more action to enforce the current licensing system and swifter action to close pubs that break licensing laws.
Alcohol deaths have increased since 2019, with more than 10,000 deaths from alcohol-related causes.
On Monday, Mr Streeting told a conference fringe meeting that the next spending review will be “mission-led”, saying: “I think the public have been ahead of our politicians for some time now, and want action seriously on public health.”
He said Britain would see higher taxes, or more people being forced to go private, without switching to a ban, backed by NHS reform. The health service was “one of the biggest fiscal risks to the future of our public funding”, he said.
“The choice is health service reform, or no health service reform and public health, or higher costs of health care, through higher taxes, or more people paying to go private because they don’t have the health service is there for them when needed,” he said.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said: “We welcome any move by this Government to reduce alcohol harm by using evidence-based policies such as tackling licensing hours. However, this must include off-trade premises as well as pubs and bars. It is scandalous that you can still buy a bottle of vodka at 2am in a petrol station.”
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said licensing reforms had not been raised with the sector.
She said: “As the Deputy Prime Minister said, when businesses thrive, the economy thrives. That means cutting barriers to growth, not creating them, and fostering positive dialogue between government and businesses. The last thing anyone wants is half-baked plans thrown at them, to the detriment of the trade.”
Mr Gwynne said the Government was looking at a wide range of measures to tackle childhood obesity, including “more reform so that the food we buy, the processed food, is healthier than it is now. “
He said that the ministers were keen to work with the industry so that they would change the content of everyday foods, which would reduce the fat, sugar and salt content, rather than being forced under regulations.
“We don’t want to introduce regulation, we want to work with the industry as much as we can,” the minister said, adding that food manufacturers had been “very happy” so far.
“I think they recognize it’s the only game they have to play and if they don’t, there’s a ruling coming,” he said.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “It is very true that the Government is considering changing alcohol licensing hours.”
