Britain's tradition-soaked pub culture is set to see its biggest change in decades: an easing of the nation's strict 11 p.m. last call for alcohol. According to a government report, the change would "end the unnaturally early race to drink as much as possible before closing time, when many are not yet ready to go,'' The Labor Party argues that binge drinking and unruly mobs strain nighttime law enforcement. And while the Conservative Party decried the announcement as a cheap attempt to grab votes ahead of a June national election, a spokesman for the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association said the current closing time, one of the earliest in Western Europe, treats Britons "like children.''
Last Call?
Britain's tradition-soaked pub culture is set to see its biggest change in decades: an easing of the nation's strict 11 p.m. last call for alcohol. According to a government report, the change would "end the unnaturally early race to drink as much as possible before closing time, when many are not yet ready to go,'' The Labor Party argues that binge drinking and unruly mobs strain nighttime law enforcement. And while the Conservative Party decried the announcement as a cheap attempt to grab votes ahead of a June national election, a spokesman for the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association said the current closing time, one of the earliest in Western Europe, treats Britons "like children.''
