Pubs will stay open late this summer if England or Scotland reach the Euro semi-finals vows Home Secretary James Cleverly
- Pubs will stay open until 1am if England or Scotland secure a semi-final spot at Euro 2024 this summer
- This year’s Euro 2024 semi-finals will take place on Tuesday, July 9 and Wednesday, July
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English football fans are in for a potential treat this summer as England reach the semi-finals of the 2024 European Championship.
Home Secretary James Cleverly has promised to keep pubs open until a later date if England or Scotland manage to reach the semi-finals.
He cleverly hinted at the idea on The Sun’s ‘Never Mind The Ballots’ podcast and has since moved on with his plans to make it a reality.
If Cleverly is successful, both football and pub fans will get two extra hours of drinks and fun if one or both teams reach the semi-finals.
This means the temporary new closing time will see British pubs close at 1am on the night of the semi-finals.
Pubs in Britain will stay open until 1am if England or Scotland reach the European Championship semi-finals
Pubs stay open later so fans can enjoy the action without fear of being kicked out if the match goes into extra time or penalties
Home Secretary James Cleverly has promised pubs will be allowed to stay open until 1am. He submitted the legislation to Parliament for debate today
The semi-finals of the 2024 European Championship will take place on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 July.
Both matches are scheduled to start at 8pm GMT (which is an hour earlier than in the UK).
The first of the two semi-finals will be held at Bayern Munich’s home stadium, the Allianz Arena.
While Signal Iduna Park will host the second match of the tournament, hosting Borussia Dortmund, this year’s Champions League finalists.
With host nation Germany running an hour ahead of UK time, the temporary extended closing time would allow boozy fans to enjoy the semi-finals without worrying about being kicked out of the pub if the matches go to extra time and penalties involve.
The Home Secretary will present his plans to Parliament today, Wednesday 8 May, to ensure there is sufficient time to discuss the subject.
A smart move could be to make an order under section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003 to relax licensing times on occasions of ‘exceptional national significance’.
As mentioned, the legislation will be introduced in Parliament today, so there will be plenty of time to debate and pass it before the tournament starts on Friday 14 June.
Scotland will play host country Germany in the opening match of the competition
England start their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia in Group C
English fans are in for a treat this summer as Southgate’s side are one of the strong favorites to win the tournament
Scotland get the tournament underway when they take on hosts Germany in Group A on Friday, June 14.
The match is scheduled for 8pm UK time and will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich, which can hold more than 75,000 people.
Gareth Southgate’s men, on the other hand, will get their campaign underway when they meet fellow Group C opponents Serbia on Sunday, June 16.
England are one of the tournament favorites after their impressive performances at both the last European Championship, where they were finalists, and the 2022 World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals.