Paris has pulled the cork on public drinking. With the mercury hitting 42C, the French capital has banned alcohol sales in parks, on the Seine, and at all public events. The message is stark: stay hydrated, not intoxicated.
Whitehall is watching. Very closely.
Sources in the Department of Health tell me officials are “war-gaming” similar restrictions. A senior civil servant, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “If this heatwave settles in for a fortnight, we will need to act.” The memo is clear: prevent a cascade of heatstroke cases in A&E. Alcohol is a diuretic. It dehydrates. In extreme heat, that is a killer.
But there is the small matter of liberty. And of the pub.
The British relationship with alcohol is complex. We do not do the cafe culture of Paris. Our public drinking is more furtive, more aggressive. A ban in London’s parks would be met with a collective howl from the libertarian wing of the Tory party. Backbenchers are already briefing against “nanny state” measures. One told me: “They will have to prise the Pimm’s from my cold, dead, sunburnt hands.”
Yet the polling is instructive. Focus groups conducted last week by a major polling firm show 62% of the public would support a temporary ban if advised by health officials. The figure rises to 71% among over-55s. The young are less keen. But the young are also the ones most likely to be out in the heat, drinking canned lager in a crowded park.
The politics are treacherous for the Prime Minister. A ban would be popular with the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. It would be opposed by the Sun and the Telegraph. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is fretting about the impact on festival season. Glastonbury is long gone, but there are dozens of smaller festivals in August. A nationwide ban would decimate their takings.
But the alternative is worse. A single headline of a young person dying from heatstroke after drinking sends the government into panic mode. The NHS is already on its knees. The last thing they need is a spike in emergency admissions.
So what is the plan? I hear the Home Office is drawing up draft powers under the Civil Contingencies Act. These would allow local authorities to ban alcohol sales in specific zones during heatwave warnings. The police would have the power to confiscate bottles and issue on-the-spot fines. It is a classic British fudge: not a national ban, but a patchwork of local orders.
But will it hold? The police are already stretched. The Met is struggling to respond to 999 calls. Adding booze patrols to the roster is a non-starter without extra resources.
Meanwhile, the drinks industry is mobilising. I have seen a leaked email from a major brewer urging trade bodies to lobby MPs. The argument: “We are not the problem. The problem is people drinking cheap, strong cider in public spaces. Our products are consumed responsibly at home.” That will not wash.
The French have shown the way. Will we follow? The smart money says yes, but only if the heatwave persists. A single day of 40C plus will trigger a cobbled-together press conference from Downing Street. The Health Secretary will stand at a podium, looking grave, and announce “temporary, targeted measures.” The tabloids will shriek. The libertarians will rage. And the rest of us will have to find somewhere indoors to drink our G&T.
For now, watch the thermometers. And watch the briefings from the Cabinet Office. They are the real weather vane of this government.
