London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 25, 2026

Platinum Jubilee: Pubs could stay open until 1am, home secretary proposes

Platinum Jubilee: Pubs could stay open until 1am, home secretary proposes

Pubs, clubs and bars could be allowed to stay open for an extra two hours over next year's bank holiday weekend marking the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Home Secretary Priti Patel is seeking to extend licensing hours in England and Wales from the usual 11pm to 1am on Thursday 2 June to Saturday 4 June.

There will be a month-long consultation over the plans.

Ministers have promised "ceremonial splendour" to mark the Queen's "unprecedented" 70-year reign.

The 2003 Licensing Act allows the home secretary to lay an order before Parliament allowing premises to stay open longer to mark special occasions.

The government has previously pushed back last orders for the royal weddings in 2011 and 2018, as well as the Queen's 90th birthday in 2016 and the World Cup in 2014.

People can submit their views about the move to extend licensing hours and the government said it would also take into account issues raised by police, licensing authorities and alcohol awareness groups.

The Queen looked forward to her Platinum Jubilee in her Christmas Day message to the nation, saying she hoped it would be "an opportunity for people everywhere to enjoy a sense of togetherness; a chance to give thanks for the enormous changes of the last seventy years - social, scientific and cultural - and also to look ahead with confidence".

On February 6 next year, she will become the first British monarch to have ruled for 70 years.

But as has been well established on previous anniversaries, she prefers not to have lavish celebrations on the date itself as it also marks the day she lost her father, King George VI. So it has become traditional for associated events to be delayed until the summer.

The Queen toured the country for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the Duke of Edinburgh by her side


Ms Patel said the licensing hours change would allow people to "raise a glass to toast Her Majesty the Queen and mark her incredible service to our country".

The jubilee celebrations will take place over a four-day weekend, with the Spring bank holiday being moved back from the end of May to Thursday 2 June and an extra bank holiday on Friday 3 June.

Among the events planned are a live concert at Buckingham Palace, a service of thanksgiving and a Platinum Jubilee Pageant in central London, featuring street arts, theatre, music and circus performers.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Premier League Season Opens With Managerial Debuts and Dramatic Early Fixtures
England Cricket Drops Brydon Carse From Selection Pending Club Investigation
Graeme Dott Convicted of Child Sexual Abuse Offences in Scotland
Protesters Occupy British Aircraft Parts Factory Over Alleged Military Links to Israel
More Than 100 Former British and French Diplomats Call for Sanctions on Israel
Ipsos Poll Shows British Public Split Between Immigration Controls and Economic Growth
British Cybersecurity Agencies Raise Alert Over Growing Threats to Critical Infrastructure
Two-Thirds of England Now Under Official Drought Conditions After Prolonged Summer Heat
Institute of Directors Calls for Urgent Action to Revive Britain’s Stagnant Labour Market
Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv on First Foreign Trip and Pledges Continued British Support for Ukraine
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches in UK Pharmacies
UK Payroll Employment Falls by 94,000 as Labour Market Cools
Onshore Wind Planning Applications in England Reach Ten-Year High After Rules Eased
UK Government Demands Social Media Platforms Remove Dangerous Driving Content After A66 Crash
Thames Water Creditors Face Backlash Over Proposed Corporate Restructuring
Twelve Arrested After Fatal A66 Crash Linked to Organised Crime Investigation
UK Household Energy Debt Could Reach £7 Billion by Year-End
UK Defence Ministry to Use Ukraine Battlefield Data to Train AI Security Systems
UK Government Redirects £4 Billion of Affordable Homes Funding Away From Social Housing
UK Government Borrowing Reaches £1.8 Billion in July, Exceeding Forecasts
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Advanced Missile Support for Ukraine
8Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Risks Rise
Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Give Ukraine Classified Storm Shadow Blueprints for Domestic Missile Production
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Plunge 45% to Lowest Levels on Record
Government Audit Reveals Pressure on UK Hospitality From Business Rates and Rising Costs
Kindertransport Survivor Prepares to Revisit European Sites Linked to Her Family’s Wartime Separation
Northern England Transport Operators Strengthen Contingency Plans as Travel Demand Rises
New Implant Trials Offer Treatment Prospects for Patients With Refractory Angina
South Wales Reviews Wildfire Response After Exceptionally Dry Summer
UK Treasury Prepares Autumn Fiscal Statement Amid Spending and Defense Pressures
Norfolk Records First Wild Beaver Births in More Than Five Hundred Years
Historic Portrait of Benjamin Disraeli Reported Missing From Parliament’s Art Collection
Five People, Including Police Officers, Killed in A66 Crash as Families Pay Tribute
Most English Secondary Schools Found to Fall Short of National Healthy Food Standards
UK Think Tank Says Productivity Growth May Be Stronger Than Official Data Shows
Reform Party Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born UK Citizens
UK Government Plans Business Rate Overhaul to Ease Pressure on Pubs and Hotels
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches Across NHS Pharmacies in England
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Fall to Lowest Level in a Decade
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv to Reaffirm Long-Term Military Support for Ukraine
Iranian Hackers Shut Down British Power Plant for Four Days in Landmark Cyber Attack
Novak Djokovic Reveals Relentless Self-Doubt and Rejects Retirement in New Documentary
Trump Imposes 50% Tariffs on Canadian Goods After Bilateral Trade Talks Collapse
First Bus Bars Unaccompanied Under-Sixteens From Evening Services in Stoke-on-Trent
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Cost UK Waste Sector About One Billion Pounds a Year
Reform UK Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born Naturalised Citizens
UK Government Deploys AI Drones in Crackdown on Illegal Waste Dumping
EU Biometric Border Checks Cause Disruption for British Travellers and Freight Operators
UK Expands Voluntary Drug Treatment Programme for Sex Offenders to Twenty Prisons
CrossCountry Cancels Most Services After Major Power Failure at Control Centre
×