Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has stated that children must still attend school on Monday, even if they stay up late to watch England's World Cup match against Mexico. The crucial last-16 game kicks off at 1 a.m. UK time on Monday morning.
Phillipson, who has two children herself, acknowledged that the World Cup is significant in her household and that individual families will determine what is best for their children regarding bedtime. However, she emphasized the importance of school attendance. "I'll be making sure that my kids get into school on the Monday whatever we decide about watching the football... I'm not going to make requests on parents around bedtime, they can decide what's best for their family, but please let's try and get our kids in on Monday too," she said during an appearance on BBC's Newsnight.
Her comments follow a government U-turn that will allow pubs to remain open late for the match. Keir Starmer announced that rules in England and Wales would be loosened through emergency legislation, granting a blanket license extension until 5 a.m. This means individual venues will not need to apply for extended hours.
However, some pub owners have expressed concern that the late notice makes it difficult to organize staff. Police have also raised worries about having insufficient time to prepare for potential public order issues.
The Home Office had previously relaxed licensing laws for earlier World Cup kick-off times but had not made provisions for the 1 a.m. fixture. This left pubs that missed the deadline for applying for a Temporary Event Notice in a difficult position, especially after their win against DR Congo earlier in the week.