Even One Pint At the Pub Could Soon Be Too Much, Drivers Warned
Drivers are being warned that even a single pint could soon put them over the legal limit, under proposals by the UK government to tighten drink-driving laws in England and Wales.
Under plans being advanced by Labour, the familiar drive to a country pub for dinner with the family — and enjoying one pint — could soon be a thing of the past. The Department for Transport has proposed slashing the alcohol limit to around 22mg per 100ml of blood, making even a single drink potentially risky for motorists.
Separate proposals would impose an even tougher standard on learner and newly qualified drivers, cutting the limit from 80mg per 100ml to around 20mg, effectively a near-zero tolerance rule.
Labour estimates suggest that lowering the drink-drive limit could reduce annual fatalities by between 25 and 100.
Transport minister Lillian Greenwood defended the plans on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday, saying: “We don’t want to stop people from going to the pub and having a great night out. What we’re just saying is don’t take your car.” She added: “If you want to go out and have a drink, don’t drive.”
Scotland lowered its drink-drive limit in 2014, yet the government later acknowledged the move did not lead to a significant reduction in road casualties. Officials said it instead helped “strengthen public attitudes against drink-driving” and reinforced “the behavioural change message of ‘don’t drink and drive’.”
For pubs, the timing could hardly be worse.
With business rates rising again, energy bills still 40–60 per cent higher than pre-2021 levels, and Labour also proposing outdoor smoking bans alongside indoor vaping restrictions, landlords warn the traditional pub model is under growing pressure. Free refills on fizzy drinks are even banned across England.
Speaking to LBC’s Tom Swarbrick on January 5, celebrity chef Tom Kerridge said business rates for his pubs were spiking.
“I don’t know where you got 15 per cent from — mine is about 115 per cent,” he said. “I’ve got four pubs, and all of them are going up pretty much over 100 per cent.”
Kerridge, who supported Labour at the general election, cited his small Marlow pub, The Butcher’s Tap & Grill, where business rates have jumped from £50,000 a year to £124,000 — a £74,000 increase. “If you were the owner of that pub and lived upstairs, that’s all your wages gone,” he said. “What’s the point in being open?”
Pub landlords could also soon find themselves acting as de facto “banter police”, critics warn, after proposals to expand employers’ liability for harassment by third parties. The changes, set out in the government’s Employment Rights Bill, would require businesses to take “all reasonable steps” to protect staff from harassment by customers or members of the public.
The Free Speech Union has warned the measures could have a chilling effect in pubs and hospitality venues, forcing landlords to intervene in customers’ jokes or boisterous banter to avoid legal risk, even where no harm is intended.
Pint anyone?