Overview
- The six-week consultation, launched on 4 December, runs until January 2026, with a Home Office decision to follow after responses are reviewed.
- Ministers propose allowing pubs to trade until 1:00am for the semi-finals and final when kick-offs are at 9:00pm or earlier, if a home nation is involved.
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood can extend hours for events of exceptional significance, a power used for recent Euros finals and other major occasions.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate licensing regimes and are not covered by the proposal, though they may opt to mirror the approach.
- Hospitality bodies including the British Beer and Pub Association, UKHospitality and the Night-Time Industries Association support the plan, pointing to late North American kick-off times and potential trade uplift for pubs.