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Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham calls for alcohol sales to be banned ANYWHERE after 9pm to stop after-pub parties in areas with last orders at 10pm
- Andy Burnham has directed calls for the government to review his pub curfew at 10 p.m.
- The mayor of Manchester also suggested a cut-off at 9pm for the sale of alcohol in stores.
- Government criticized for ‘idiotic’ curfew that fills the streets with drinkers
- Scientists say ministers should have foreseen that early closing of bars would lead to a buildup of crowds
Police, scientists and politicians joined forces yesterday to ask Boris Johnson to reconsider the controversial 10 pm curfew amid claims that it does “more harm than good.”
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, demanded an urgent review of the rules that he said had led people to buy drinks without a license and hold parties at home.
On Friday, the curfew at bars contributed to a 55 percent drop on main streets after 11 p.m., Springboard analysts said.
Burnham’s warning came after images of crowds circulated in city centers across the country on Saturday night, with people getting on public transportation and queuing to buy more alcohol.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, demanded an urgent review of the rules that he said led to people buying drinks without a license and holding parties at home.
“I received reports that the supermarkets were completely full of people gathered,” the mayor told Radio 4’s Today program.
“I think an urgent review of emerging evidence from police forces across the country is needed.
My intuition is that this curfew is doing more harm than good. Create an incentive for people to meet on the street or, more likely, at home.
‘That is the opposite of what our local restrictions are trying to do here. I don’t think this has been fully thought through. ‘ Mr Burnham suggested that one option might be to impose a 9pm curfew on alcohol sales in stores to avoid the rush to remove licenses after pubs close.
Scientists said ministers should have anticipated that closing bars and restaurants earlier would lead to a build-up of crowds and busier public transportation.
It turned out that only 3 percent of the coronavirus outbreaks investigated by Public Health England were due to people gathering in bars and restaurants.
It had been illegal for two households to mix indoors or in the garden, but it was just a guideline that they shouldn’t meet in public places, including restaurants and pubs. In the photo: a group of girls take to the streets of Newcastle
Health Minister Helen Whately said the government was keeping an “open mind” on the new regulations, which went into effect in England on Thursday last week.
John Apter, national president of the Police Federation, said police had difficulty dispersing large crowds with a limited number of officers available.
“There may only be one or two people on a busy street at 10pm when hundreds and hundreds of people are taking to the streets,” he told Today.
“My colleagues will do their best to encourage and force people to keep going, but it is really difficult. All you need is a hostile group to turn against those officers and the resources for that city center are sucked in to deal with that incident. ‘
Professor Susan Michie, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said it was always “predictable” that driving people out onto the streets at the same time would lead to crowds.
Professor Michie, a behavioral scientist at University College London, said it was “especially worrying” that people were being pressured together on public transport and that it was “of the utmost importance” that ministers listen to scientific advice.
“These consequences of the curfew undermine the benefits saved by shortening the last part of the night and may even be counterproductive,” he said.
“The measure is another example of a restriction introduced without a coherent strategy and without sufficient consultation with the relevant experts and communities.” Professor Robert Dingwall, a sociologist who also advises the government, said: “The disdain for the nighttime economy reflects the puritan streak in public health that has marked so many interventions.”
Ms Whately said ministers are trying to learn from the experience, but insisted the government had to act last week in response to the increased infection rate.
“It’s clearly the early days,” he told Today. “We are constantly learning and seeing what has the biggest impact, but clearly we have to take a step because of what we have seen with rates increasing across the country.”
