I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to stand before the House to bring forward a Bill that makes an amendment to the Licensing Act 2003 that will support our vibrant hospitality sector and help our communities come together to celebrate momentous moments in our national life.

I am sure I can add a few more puns to our deliberations today. The Bill will do that by changing the procedure for licensing hours extensions in England and Wales, so that the measures are subject to the negative procedure rather than the affirmative procedure, as is currently the case.

Before proceeding in more detail, I want to pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Mrs Lewell-Buck) who brought forward a similar Bill in the previous Parliament.

It enjoyed wide support across the House, only for it to fall when Parliament was dissolved for the general election. I am pleased to be carrying forward the work that she started.

I would also like to thank everyone who supported the Bill, particularly those who have come to the House today and all those who attended my drop-in last week, in collaboration with the British Beer and Pub Association and UKHospitality.

It is important to start talking about our pubs and hospitality industry, something I can claim to know a thing or two about having had a 30-year career in it before coming to this place. Pubs and other venues are so much more than just businesses.

They are often a focal point of our communities, from one generation to the next, and where we gather for life’s big and small moments. They are also fundamental to community cohesion.

Two thirds of adults believe that our local pubs are vital to combatting loneliness and social isolation, according to a survey by YouGov in 2024. It will come as a surprise to no one that I believe it is in Wrexham where the finest pubs and beers can be found.

In no particular order, there are great pubs such as Saith Seren, the Acton Park, the Nags Head, the Red Lion in Marchwiel, the Crown in Llay, the Quarry Arms, the Buck in Bangor on Dee, the Cunliffe Arms, the George and Dragon in Brymbo, the Golden Lion in Coedpoeth and the Kings Mill.

I will stop there.

I am delighted to hear that my hon. Friend will now have, I think, at least 12 free drinks in his constituency! Does he agree with me about the importance of community-owned and operated pubs, and the additional social value they can provide to local communities and groups?

Order. Before Mr Ranger returns to his feet, I should obviously reference all the fantastic pubs in Sussex Weald!

The Daily Telegraph recently visited my constituency to interview people to report on the status and progress of the new Labour Government. This piece was largely conducted by interviewing people residing within, or emerging from, the Moon Under the Water public house on Watford High Street.

Has my hon. Friend considered the implications of these proposals on the ability to do such easy journalism in constituencies such as mine?

I had not considered that, but my hon. Friend makes a valid point. Measures to extend hours provide the additional benefit of boosting the hospitality sector.

Blanket licensing hours extensions introduced by the Secretary of State mean that businesses do not have to apply for individual extensions, should they wish to stay open longer to celebrate a particular event.

Under normal circumstances, venues have to apply for a temporary event notice, which costs £21 for an application and involves considerable administrative work.

The Bill will have the twofold impact of saving businesses time and money and meaning that local licensing authorities avoid the strain of being required to process large numbers of individual applications, possibly at very late notice.

Licensing hours extensions in England and Wales have been implemented on occasions, including royal weddings and jubilees and major sporting events, such as when the England men’s football squad reached the finals of the Euros in 2020 and 2024.

These events bring us together to share in these occasions, whether that is their joy, the perhaps inevitable trauma when England lose on penalties again, or the anticipated jubilation when Wales reach the world cup final or when Wrexham reach the FA cup final.

There is generally less of an urgent issue with royal events, for which more notice is generally available. The situation is much more complicated with sporting events, when there can be only a few days’ notice of a team reaching a semi-final or final.

Unfortunately, that has led to significant occasions where it has not been possible for the Government to extend licensing hours.

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Andrew Ranger) on his private Member’s Bill, and I am proud to be a named supporter. As a Welsh MP, I know that few things unite Welsh people like supporting our rugby and football teams, and love for our local pubs runs deep.

Places such as the Mayquay in Kinmel bay, the Mason’s Arms in Denbigh and the Station in Colwyn bay are vibrant hubs of our communities, and they bring people together during moments of national significance.

This Bill builds on that important role by ensuring that communities can gather for major events, while boosting local economies. I am sure that we have all heard from the hospitality sector in our constituencies about the challenges they have faced, particularly in recent years.

The hospitality industry is a fundamental part of Welsh culture, and it is vital to the economy of Clwyd North. However, pubs are closing at concerning rates across the UK, with the number of licensed premises down by 30% since 20 years ago.

More needs to be done to encourage tourism in smaller pockets of the country, such as mine. In my view, supporting our pubs is a crucial step. This Bill would bring together locals and visitors in north Wales during significant national sporting events, be they football, rugby or something else.

I am proud to champion Welsh rugby union games at Parc Eirias in my constituency. I believe it is vital that we support such games in north Wales, and this Bill allows us more opportunity to celebrate successes together locally.

To be clear, this Bill is not about diminishing local authority control; it is about ensuring fairness and efficiency when large-scale events call for a national approach.

Coming from a local authority background, I know that the provisions in the Bill would ease the pressures on councils and their licensing committees. It is a common-sense proposal that will unite communities, bolster the hospitality sector and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.

I urge Members from across the House to back this Bill.

Northampton has a fantastic and varied hospitality sector, and this Bill will support local businesses across Northampton South. There are over 30 pubs in my constituency alone, and they employ nearly 1,500 people.

I have been very fortunate to visit a number of them over the years, and I have now visited many on constituency visits, including the Deers Leap in Bellinge, which is the last community pub in the Eastern district; the Pomfret Arms, which has just reopened after being closed due to some disastrous flooding on the River Nene; the Britannia, where I pulled my first pint on camera—I think it is safe to say I will never make a good barman—and the White Hart in Great Houghton, which is part of the Everards brewery group.

I started my career in construction by working for Pick Everard, which is owned by the Everard family, so the group is close to my heart. Northampton is also home to a number of breweries: famously, Carlsberg—served here in the House—but also Phipps brewery, which serves pubs across our region.

While I am talking about the pubs that will benefit from this Bill, I should give special mention to my local, the Artizan, which resides just over the border in the neighbouring constituency of my hon. Friend Member for Northampton North (Lucy Rigby).

The Bill may sound technical to my constituents, but at its heart it is about something far more important. The minor amendments proposed will mean that, whether Parliament is sitting or not, a decision can be made nationally to change licensing hours.

As has been noted, it will enable hours to be changed during major sporting events, which is great news for the thousands of rugby and football fans in my town who follow Saints and Cobblers players when they are called up for national duty.

We heard that licensing hours could not be extended for the Lionesses game because Parliament was not sitting. Does my hon. Friend agree that the changes in the Bill will give us the flexibility to ensure that, on such occasions, fans will be able watch games while supporting our pubs?

We also have an opportunity today to progress legislation on the safety of fans in another way; my Bill is no.

Order. Point beautifully made.

I am looking forward to my hon. Friend’s Bill—a much-needed piece of legislation. The British Beer and Pub Association backs this change to the law because it knows that the industry needs it.

And as a proud member, along with others in the House, of the all-party parliamentary beer group and the all-party parliamentary group for hospitality and tourism, I know that we need it, too.

The Bill is about helping our pubs and communities to continue the proud tradition of celebrating British success together, and I fully support it.

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Andrew Ranger) for introducing the Bill—a small change, but one that will make a big difference to our communities. There are a few principal reasons why I support it.

First, as others have said, it allows us to bring communities together at moments of national importance, making it a common-sense change that our communities would welcome. In many instances, they cannot believe the process that exists at the moment.

Constituents across the country—certainly mine—would welcome this relatively minor change so that they can come together, support their local hospitality spots and mark those occasions.

Secondly, it will have a material positive impact on our local hospitality sector—pubs, but also restaurants and cafes. Our local businesses, particularly small businesses, seek flexibility above everything else, so that they can adapt and take up any opportunity for further income.

They also want to play a part in our high streets and town centres. The change will bring that flexibility. I have 65 different hospitality spots in my constituency, which employ almost 1,000 people and make a contribution of more than £50 million.

These small steps can make a big difference to them, and I am pleased to support them. Finally, the Bill will relieve pressure on overstretched local authorities up and down the country. Councils talk about the burden of red tape, not just for local businesses but for themselves.

The Bill will ensure not only that parliamentary time is spent well, but that existing pressures on council are relieved. For that reason, I very much support the Bill.

I call the shadow Minister.

As a former licensing board member, I welcome this Bill. Pubs in Falkirk would certainly have benefited from extensions during the Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 finals, as well as for the world cup final in 2023, and I declare an interest as a member of the tartan army.

We need to recognise the impact that extensions have on hospitality workers in the Bill. Would the Minister endorse Unite’s “Get Me Home Safely” campaign and encourage businesses who are going to benefit from this extension to make sure that their staff get home safely?

Does the Minister not share my concern that this is a Bill of very limited ambition? Considering what she has said, surely there is a strong case for deregulating this whole area and for getting Parliament and the Government out of hospitality businesses’ hair.

I call Andrew Ranger to wind up.

I thank all hon. Members for their contributions today and for the broad consensus across the House. I thought I knew quite a lot of hospitality venues across the country, but I have learned about a few more today, which has been good. I will be sure to try to visit them, if possible.

I thank the Minister for her support and her comments. In summary, the Bill introduces a simple, straightforward measure that will enable us to cut out an unnecessary administrative burden for businesses, use parliamentary time better and support our hospitality sector.

I trust that all Members from across the House will be able to support the Bill. Question put and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time; to stand committed to a Public Bill Committee (Standing Order No. 63).