Downing Street has weighed in on a dispute concerning pub drinking habits in London and has urging Westminster City Council to "work with" landlords.

The intervention follows the council's publication of draft alcohol policies which encourage establishments to prioritise tables and chairs over standing space.

Paul Swaddle, the Conservative leader of Westminster City Council, sought to clarify the situation, insisting there is "no plan" to prohibit "vertical drinking" within the borough.

He stated that the proposed policies are currently out for public consultation.

The survey regarding these proposals is scheduled to close on Sunday, August 9.

A No 10 spokesperson said: “Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs.

“The Government is devolving new licensing powers to the Mayor to help support pubs and nightlife.

“Soho did not become world famous by taking last orders early, switching the lights off at 10 o’clock.

“The Prime Minister encourages local leaders to work with the industry so that pubs can continue to thrive.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has previously vowed to be “a defender” for British pubs when he visited The Hare in Harlow, Essex.

He unveiled a package of support at the pub, knocking 20% off business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues across England from April next year.

“The pubs that we’ve got are at the heart of high streets, and I think it’s really important to signal at the start of my time in office that I will be a defender for them,” he told reporters last month.

“I will speak up for them and act.”

Westminster City Council’s draft statement of licensing policy includes an intention to “discourage excessive drunkenness and encourage the provision of more seating in premises that serve alcohol for people to sit and enjoy a drink and order food by table service in place of open bar space that caters for high volume vertical drinking”.

One policy, numbered CIP1, is to “normally refuse” pub, bar, fast food or music venue licences in an area known as the West End cumulative impact zone – the area roughly between Oxford Street and Trafalgar Square, taking in Leicester Square and Soho.

“The introduction of measures to reduce the extent of, or to remove opportunities for, vertical drinking could address the underlying reasons for the policy,” the document reads.

Mr Swaddle accused the press of writing “confusing stories” about what the document meant and added: “I want to be straight with people.

“There is no plan, and never has been, to ban drinking while standing up in a Westminster pub.”

Mr Swaddle responded to Sir Sadiq Khan’s criticism of the draft policies, after the Labour Mayor of London wrote on X that “you can’t run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset”.

The council leader said: “We don’t need lectures from City Hall on backing hospitality when they have directed the police to object to every new licence application as their solution to curbing crime in the West End.”

He also said: “Growth is central to everything this administration is doing.

“That means backing our hospitality sector, not making things harder for them.

“We approve well over 98% of licence applications, we’ve just backed a 24-hour licence in the West End and a new pub in Covent Garden, and we’ve launched our own campaign to get people back out enjoying Soho this summer.

“That’s growth that keeps this city open for business.”

The policy has attracted criticism from business owners, including Lesley Lewis, who has run Soho’s French House pub for 37 years.

“We rely on those people standing up with the rents and the rates put upon us,” she told the Press Association.

“People want to enjoy themselves in Soho, they want to have a drink outside, they want to dance, they don’t want to sit down and just be where they are, they want to meet people and chat.”

Ms Lewis warned the policies risked driving customers to new watering holes in other London boroughs, such as Camden, which “are a bit more exciting and a bit more licence-friendly”.

A Soho Business Alliance spokesperson told PA: “I think they’re trying to reduce the capacities in these venues.

“It’s been like that for years where people are standing and drinking, it’s not causing crime, it’s not causing issues.

“It’s them trying to change the nature of Soho and it’s quite sad that they’ve gone to such lengths to sanitise the area.

“They don’t want the late-night economy.

“This policy completely contradicts the mayor of London’s London Plan.”

A Conservative Party spokesperson called for Westminster City Council to strike a balance between the night-time economy and concerns from neighbours.

They said: “Standing inside or outside a pub with a pint in hand is a British tradition.

“We hope the council’s consultation will recognise its importance, whilst addressing any particular local issues in crowded late-night locations.”