Westminster City Council is set to decide on the drinking policy in the coming days
12:59, 09 Sep 2026Updated 13:00, 09 Sep 2026
The Mayor of London has accused Westminster City Council of “breathtaking arrogance” over its policy on standing up in the pub. Sir Sadiq Khan’s comments are the latest in a disagreement between the Mayor and the Central London local authority over it’s approach to vertical drinking in Soho.
At the start of August, a media frenzy began after the Guardian published an article stating that Westminster was proposing a “ban on standing” up in the pub. The council denied this, stating that their policy had been misinterpreted.
Now, the Mayor of London has spoken out again against the council, after Westminster decided to press forward with its proposed policy on vertical drinking.
Taking to X, Sir Sadiq said: “The arrogance of Westminster Council is breathtaking. By ignoring those who oppose its plans and treating hospitality in the heart of our capital as a problem, it’s letting down businesses and Londoners. Westminster may not care about our pubs, bars and venues – but I do.”
Concerns were raised over the council’s approach to standing up in the pub after it published its draft licensing policy at the end of July. The policy made clear that the council wants to encourage new venues to be designed around seated drinking.
A key extract reads that the council would “discourage excessive drunkenness and encourage the provision of more seating in premises that serve alcohol for people to sit and enjoy a drink and order food by table service in place of open bar space that caters for high volume vertical drinking.”
Despite some claims, there is no indication of any blanket ban on vertical drinking in Soho, especially for existing venues. At the time, the Mayor criticised Westminster over “restrictive and anti-growth policies”
The consultation on the draft policy received over 650 responses, with 564 of these arriving after the Guardian article was published.
Responses towards the licensing policy were largely negative – with only 7 percent agreeing it would help promote business.
Over 80 percent of responders also disagreed with keeping the Cumulative Impact Zone – an area of greater licensing controls cowering the West End and Soho.
The policy, which has been revised to be clearer, will now be decided by the Cabinet Member for Growth and Planning in the coming days.
Westminster City Council said that the number one concern raised in the consultation was the need for more policing so visitors and residents feel safe while on a night out.
Deputy Leader, Tim Barnes, said: “Beyond disagreements over policy jargon there are serious issues acting as a drag on our hospitality industry.
“A lack of investment in policing has left the Met objecting to many licensing applications over public safety concerns.
“People struggle to get home from a night out when late night bus routes have been cut and overnight Tube services are non-existent during the week.
“We’ve spent the summer taking feedback from residents, the hospitality industry and visitors. We’ll take this on board and do our bit to support the hospitality industry but we need the Mayor’s team to fund the services which make London a 24 hour city.”
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