As a 22-year-old man, the annoyance I feel when I turn up at the pub after a long day at work and realise I’ve forgotten my ID is palpable – but new government plans could mean I, and other young people, never have to go pintless again.
The UK government wants to enable people to prove their age at pubs and nightclubs using a QR code available on their phones.
The new plans, introduced under the Data (Use and Access) Bill and set to be put in motion by next Christmas, will mean customers no longer have to worry about remembering their passport or driving license before a trip to the pub.
With more customers now using their phones to purchase goods rather than cash or cards, ministers hope to make trips to the pub even easier for Brits.
The new QR code, which will be available via an app yet to be created, will only show whether the person is old enough to buy their chosen product, and will not include other information such as an address or date of birth.
The proposed app will use a ‘single sign-on’ feature, as opposed to the two-step identification method used by most online systems.
Possessing a digital ID won’t be mandatory, but the government are also planning a change to the Licensing Act to enable landlords to serve beer to those providing an ID via their phone.
The changes are currently in the process of being passed through Parliament.
A government source told the Sunday Times: ‘The aim is to begin by digitalising existing identity documents.’
Ministers are also reportedly considering integrating the new plans to include shop checkout systems.
If plans go ahead, the government hopes such changes would stop supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi from employing an attendant to verify customers’ ages as they try to purchase alcohol or cigarettes.
As stated earlier, the new rules will not be mandatory and, if preferred, customers will still be able to use driving licenses, utility bills or their passport to verify their age.
Worrying statistics revealed that almost 3,000 British pubs closed between 2013 and 2023 – as numbers fell from 41,015 to 38,175.
Covid-19 had a detrimental effect on local businesses, which will have contributed to the plummeting number of British boozers.
Industry difficulties have led one London pub to take the decision to charge customers an extra £2 a pint after 10pm – in a move which sparked controversy.
O’Neill’s on Wardour Street in Soho, charges £7.40 for draught beers before 10pm and a staggering £9.40 after the cut-off point.
The beer’s maker, Diageo, have decided to limit the amount of kegs pubs can buy due to an unprecedented rise in sales following the Autumn internationals.
One pub landlord, Con Riordon, who runs the Blythe Hill Tavern in South London, said: ‘ ‘As we all know, some parts of the industry are struggling and no Guinness could mean trouble for independent pubs.
‘We could definitely lose customers, we’ve been here for 40 years and we’ve never run out of Guinness.
‘It would be a terrible stain on your reputation if you’re a pub who doesn’t serve Guinness on Christmas Eve.’
The proposal was met with widespread disapproval from pub landlords and owners upon its announcement in the summer.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting ultimately told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘‘There are lots of things that we can and will do on public health that don’t impact on people’s liberties and livelihoods.
‘It is no secret that UK hospitality has had a battering in recent years with the pandemic, and also the challenges in the economy and in people’s pockets means that there’s an ongoing challenge.
‘So we listened to what the hospitality industry said, and therefore we’re not proposing to go ahead with an outdoor hospitality ban at this stage.’
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