British Parliament will "pray against" longer pub hours

MPs to 'pray against' longer pub hours
(Filed: 09/10/2005)

Opponents of relaxed licensing laws are to use a little-known parliamentary procedure in a bid to block the implementation of later pub opening hours next month, it emerged today.



MPs will tomorrow "pray against" the order implementing the Licensing Act - which was passed by Parliament in 2003 - in a bid to force a vote in both the Commons and Lords on whether it should be put into effect.

The Act is due to come into force on November 24, and around two-thirds of the 190,000 pubs and bars in England and Wales are understood to have applied to open later from that date, most of them seeking to keep doors open until midnight or 1am at weekends.

As the implementation of the Act has come nearer, police and doctors have spoken out over its implications for health and public order, and an estimated 30,000 members of the public have raised objections to longer opening hours for their local pubs.

Today, Liberal Democrat culture spokesman Don Foster explained the last-ditch move being attempted to prevent the change going ahead.

"Tomorrow we are going to use a little-used parliamentary technique to pray against the order that would bring the Licensing Act into force on November 24," he told BBC Radio 4's World This Weekend programme.

"In simple terms, we are going to try to force a vote in both the House of Commons and House of Lords to see if we can prevent the Act coming into force on November 24."

Mr Foster conceded that the move was not guaranteed to be successful, and predicted that the Government would use any available parliamentary manoeuvre to defeat it.

"In the House of Commons, quite obviously, the Government can stack the committee that will consider this with a majority and they are bound to win and defeat us," he said.

"The situation in the House of Lords of course will depend on whether or not we can get a coalition of Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Crossbenchers and potentially some Labour rebels to support this move."

Government whips might try to neutralise the challenge by timetabling the debate on the "prayer" after November 24 or by holding a vote in the Lords in the middle of the night, predicted Mr Foster.

But Leader of the Commons Geoff Hoon insisted there would be no dirty tricks, telling The World This Weekend: "I accept that there are procedural devices, but I equally assure you that we will follow the rules.

"That's always the position as far as the Government is concerned. We will ensure that appropriate parliamentary procedures are followed."