British pubs "will be able to stay open to screen England World Cup matches without seeking a special licence" following an intervention by PM David Cameron, according to Patrick Wintour of the London GUARDIAN. Cameron intervened after the Liberal Democrat Minister Norman Baker revealed over the weekend that "he had refused brewers' requests for later licences." Cameron "has now ordered Baker to hold a nationwide consultation on the issue." One of the England matches -- there may only be three -- "will be screened very late at night due to the time differences with Brazil." Under the proposal, pubs nationwide "would be able to stay open until 1am without needing to apply for a special licence from their local council" (GUARDIAN, 2/3). The BBC reported the pub industry "had put in an application on behalf of all pubs to allow them to stay open" from 11pm to 1am on the opening weekend of the event. It also "asked for an extra two hours on the closing weekend," July 11-12, when the final will be played, saying that the move "could benefit the economy" by up to £20M ($33M) (BBC, 2/3).
