A proposal by Westminster City Council to curb "vertical drinking" — the British habit of nursing a pint while standing at the bar — has triggered an uproar among pub owners, London's mayor and even Downing Street, all objecting to a licensing shake-up still in public consultation.
The draft policy, covering Soho and the wider West End, would discourage venues from operating as standing-room bars in favor of table service and seating, with the stated goal of reducing overcrowded pavements and "excessive drunkenness," according to ITV News London. The council insists it is not proposing to ban standing while drinking outright, only to encourage licensees to provide more seated, table-ordered space instead of high-volume open bar areas.
That distinction has done little to calm the backlash. Lesley Lewis, who has run Soho's French House pub for 37 years, warned the change could push venues like hers out of business, telling reporters: "It will really finish us off. We rely on those people standing up with the rents and the rates put upon us." The Soho Business Alliance has accused the council of trying to "sanitise the area," noting standing drinkers have not driven measurable increases in crime, per CNN.
The dispute has also become a mini power struggle between Westminster's Conservative-led council and City Hall. A spokesperson for Mayor Sadiq Khan said existing licensing rules "aren't working" and argued the mayor should get new powers to "call in" local licensing decisions to protect London's nightlife economy — implicitly against Westminster's own proposal. Even 10 Downing Street weighed in, with a spokesperson telling the PA news agency that "busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs."
Westminster councillor Timothy Barnes has defended the measure as non-binding guidance meant to help venue managers avoid disorder rather than a blanket restriction. The consultation remains open, with the council yet to set a date for a final vote on the licensing framework.
