James Ford: Labour still seems determined to ruin your night out

James Ford is a public affairs consultant. He is a former adviser to Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, on transport, environment and technology policy.

Labour policies on the night-time economy in London are like buses; you wait ages for one and then multiple show up all at once. Three different Labour-controlled organs of government have unveiled fresh approaches to managing economic activity that occurs after 6pm, in recent weeks. Of course, like so many night bus routes in the capital, none of these initiatives are headed in the same direction, most do not go where you need them to, and many are so overloaded with muddled minds that it is impossible to fully get on board.

Let’s start our consideration of these myriad strategies by looking at the best: the Mayor of London’s own new Nightlife Taskforce. Yes, I know – it seems improbable, but Sir Sadiq Khan might finally be earning his knighthood by doing something good for London’s declining nightlife. We can be assured that this new approach is an improvement for two reasons: anything is an improvement on the failed strategy of the past eight years – and disastrous ‘Night Czar’ Amy Lame is not involved. Instead, the Nightlife Taskforce is an industry-led panel of business leaders all of whom have real-world experience in the capital’s nighttime economy. The taskforce will undertake a six-month investigation into the challenges facing businesses in the night-time economy as well as advising on whether or not to appoint a new Night Czar. Any approach that is business-led and evidence-based seems likely to be an improvement on a strategy that involved paying a Labour crony a six-figure salary to do an ineffectual job.

So far, so good. However, whilst this is the best strategy of the three, it is still far from perfect. A proper consideration of the challenges facing businesses in the night-time economy is welcome; it may well be redundant in this case. The London Assembly’s Economy, Culture and Skills Committee has just concluded its own lengthy study on the night-time economy. (In fact, the committee published their recommendations two weeks after the Nightlife Taskforce was established). Many of the individuals that have just been appointed to the Nightlife Taskforce also submitted written evidence to this study, so we probably already know what they think the key challenges and issues are. The only flaw with the Assembly’s investigation was that it rather pointedly (and certainly politically) refused to consider the effectiveness or value of the role of the Night Czar as part of its deliberations.

Now we must consider the two not-so-positive policy interventions that Labour has unveiled (and you know they must be bad if they make Sadiq Khan look pragmatic and pro-business). Labour-controlled Westminster City Council (WCC) is also keen to get in on the act by unveiling “Westminster After Dark”, proudly touted as the council’s first ever evening and night-time plan. Whilst many of this strategy’s proposals – prioritising women’s safety, more CCTV, better Night Bus services – are sound, there are a couple of ideas that rather suggest WCC may have missed the point and that undermine the plan’s credibility: alcohol-free nights and sensory-friendly ‘quiet nights’. I was excited to learn recently that the Westminster Arms – one of political London’s best watering holes – had reopened after an extensive refit. But now that I realise that the local council would prefer me to go there and enjoy a glass of tepid water in silence, I find my enthusiasm was premature. If this is Labour’s idea of a fun night out, I feel my decision to swerve their party conference for the past 25 years has been fully vindicated.

We can perhaps empathise with WCC who, as a local authority, have to balance the interests of the residents who elect it, with the needs of revellers across the capital who come to the West End for a good time. However, there is an irrefutable whiff of nanny state wokery here that seems unlikely to offer ‘after dark’ businesses in Soho the reassurance that they need in constrained times.

The third Labour policy plan that will impact the night time economy comes from the UK Government itself and is by far the most ill-conceived intervention. Hidden away in the depths of the Employment Rights Bill lies Clause 18 – dubbed by critics as the ‘Banter Ban’. Under this clause, if a member of staff at a venue (such as a bar or pub) overhears comments which they find objectionable – even ones not directed at them – then they will be able to sue the venue for failing to stop ‘harassment.’ This, the Tory frontbench has warned, will force proprietors and landlords to become “banter bouncers”. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has warned that the clause could “disproportionately curtail” free speech. It certainly won’t help struggling businesses to remain afloat or make a night out more appealing. I didn’t think anything could make WCC’s boozeless quiet nights less appealing but add in some rather Orwellian policing of your private conversations and suddenly an evening at home in front of the TV looks like the best option.

Normally I would contend that if Sadiq Khan is the answer to any public policy problem then you have probably asked the wrong question. But here we have a rare example of the Mayor of London seemingly acting as the voice of reason within a political party that seems determined to ruin everyone’s night out, suck the joy out of probably the greatest of British institutions – a night down at the pub – and generally destroy an industry that employs thousands and gives pleasure to millions more. Now, we should reflect that the Mayor’s high standing is relative to some really bad ideas from WCC and the government, and that Sadiq’s fresh approach is a massive u-turn on his previous policy. But, for now, credit where credit is due. Of course, Sadiq’s Nightlife Taskforce may yet conclude that your Saturday night on the town is better off without booze, banter and background noise. In which event, we may all end up in the absurd position of actually thinking of Amy Lamé’s tenure as Night Czar as a golden age.