Lord Watson of Wyre Forest:

Moved by Lord Watson of Wyre Forest

That the Bill do now pass.

My Lords, this is a modest Bill but a useful one. It makes a small procedural change to the Licensing Act 2003 that will allow the Government to act more swiftly and sensibly when communities wish to come together to mark moments of national significance. Before turning briefly to the substance, I want to thank those who have helped the Bill on its way. I am grateful to my Honourable Friend Andrew Ranger, the Member for Wrexham, who steered it through the other place with care and persistence, and my honourable friend Emma Lewell, the Member for South Shields, for doing the same before the last General Election. I also thank the Minister, the officials, the clerks of the House and the staff for their guidance, constructive engagement and support throughout.

I am particularly grateful to the noble Lords on all sides of this House who took an interest in the Bill. They recognised that it can bring a little joy in difficult times to landlords and the wider hospitality sector, which is navigating tough economic conditions. Our pubs and hospitality venues are not simply businesses; they are places of belonging where people gather to celebrate, to commiserate and to feel part of something shared.

I particularly thank the noble Baroness, Lady Monckton of Dallington Forest. She cannot be with us today because of pressing family commitments but has asked me to extend an invitation to visit the North Star, a pub that she helped open earlier this year through her charity, Team Domenica, which provides training and employment opportunities for young adults with learning difficulties. I am pleased to say that the good people of the British Beer & Pub Association who support this Bill have agreed to accompany any Member who would like to take the noble Baroness up on her kind invitation. In that same generous spirit, I thank the Chief Whip, my noble friend Lord Kennedy, who is known for his generosity. He has asked me to convey the offer to every Member in the House today that, were they to visit the noble Baroness’s pub, he would be delighted to buy them all a drink.

By moving to negative resolution, the Bill ensures that licence extensions can be made when they are genuinely useful to communities and businesses, while fully preserving parliamentary oversight. Either House retains the right to object and to secure a debate, and scrutiny remains intact; it is simply better calibrated to the decision being taken. Nothing else changes: extensions remain exceptional, discretionary and tightly defined. What does change is the ability to use an existing power well at a moment when it matters.

With the support of the House, we will cut unnecessary delay, reduce administrative burden, support hospitality businesses and help communities to celebrate together when the occasion calls for it. I say “cheers” to noble Lords on all sides for their support. Before we call time on this Bill and before last orders are called, I invite the House to see it safely through.

My Lords, in the spirit of the offer of the noble Lord, Lord Kennedy, when this Bill is enacted will the noble Lord buy everybody present a round?

The noble Lord is an expert on election law. There are certain circumstances where that might be illegal, but I fear that he is correct on this one and will gladly take him up on that offer. For those reasons, I commend this Bill to the House.

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have made valuable contributions to this Private Member’s Bill as it has made its way through your Lordships’ House. When in government, we did indeed support a similar version of the Bill as proposed by Emma Lewell from the other place, which sadly failed to pass before the General Election. His Majesty’s loyal Opposition are therefore pleased to welcome the measures in the Bill as put forward by the noble Lord, Lord Watson. We thank him for his work on the Bill, in addition to his efforts to promote all sectors of the UK music industry as chair of UK Music.

At Second Reading, many noble Lords shared their extensive knowledge of the hospitality sector and the meaningful, positive impact that this legislation will have. Ensuring that pubs, bars and other licensed venues can adapt during national celebrations such as royal events, major sporting victories or cultural milestones is beneficial to both businesses and communities, allowing everyone to celebrate together and contributing in some part to economic growth. Replacing an affirmative resolution with a negative resolution statutory instrument provides a faster and simpler mechanism while at the same time retaining the option for consultation and maintaining the relevant safeguards. The net result should be that everyone benefits.

My Lords, if your Lordships pass this Bill today, it will not go back to the Commons but go straight to His Majesty the King for Royal Assent. I thank my noble friend Lord Watson for bringing the Bill forward and congratulate him, as well as my honourable friends Andrew Ranger and Emma Lewell in the other place.

I wondered whether we should extend the licensing hours to celebrate the passing of this Bill, but I do not intend to test the opinion of the House on that question. The Chief Whip would have a heart attack, and I understand that he has plans for the weekend. It would also bring my late-blooming political career to an abrupt end. In an earlier debate on this Bill, the noble Lord, Lord Sandhurst, promised to drink more British beer if the Bill passes, so I think the drinks in the North Star are on the Opposition.

I do not want to trivialise the Bill. As well as the obvious economic benefits of this change, what we celebrate, when we celebrate, how we celebrate, where we celebrate and with whom we celebrate are all markers of our shared national identity. These are the occasions when, as a nation, we show the better angels of our nature. With that, and with my thanks again to my noble friend Lord Watson and all those who have supported this Bill, with the Government’s support, I commend the Bill to the House.

Bill passed.