Transport minister Lilian Greenwood rejects claim tougher drink-driving rules will kill off rural pubs
Good morning. Keir Starmer is taking his first PMQs of 2026 today, and it is hard to imagine that he will get through that without being able to comment on Donald Trump escalating his threats about annexing Greenland – a prospect that would tear apart Nato.
But, even with the world in crisis, domestic policy making has to continue and this morning the government is focusing on something closer to home – its road safety strategy.
The full document is not out yet, but here is the Department for Transport’s press release and here is Gwyn Topham’s overnigtht story about it.
The government wants to cut deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035 and it is quite a meaty strategy, with several significant proposals, albeit mostly ones that are going out for consultation, which means there is a chance they could be watered down.
Perhaps the most controversial plan is the proposal to cut the drink-drive limit in England and Wales. It has not changed since 1967 and it is the highest in Europe, at 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath. It could be cut to 22 micrograms, in line with the limit in Scotland since 2014.
Predictably, the rightwing papers are presenting this as a threat to rural pubs.
Telegraph splash Photograph: TelegraphSun splash Photograph: The Sun
The Telegraph story quotes the British Beer and Pub Association as saying: “The pub sector continues to face huge challenges, so any additional policy measures that further impact trade will be of real concern to licensees, especially those in rural areas.”
Lilian Greenwood, the transport minister, has been giving interviews this morning, and and she has rejected the claim that a lower drink-drive limit would lead to rural pubs closing. She said there was evidence to back this up. She told Times Radio:
In drawing up these plans we’ve listened carefully to road safety experts from both in the UK and across the world. That’s precisely what we wanted to do was to be evidence-led in terms of our policy making.
Obviously the drink drive limit was reduced in Scotland back in 2014. The evidence from studies by the University of Stirling, [and from the] University of Bath is that that didn’t have a significant impact on the pub trade. They didn’t suffer as a result of that. So we have taken that into account in devising these proposals.
She also said the government did not want to stop people going to pubs.
What we’re just saying is don’t take your car. So that might mean that you know some places you’ll be able to take a bus or a taxi. In other places you’re going out with a group of mates. One of you agrees to be the designated driver. I know from working with the pub trade how many great low alcohol drinks there are out there. Now most of our favorite brands are produced in a low alcohol version. So people have lots of opportunities to do something to choose a different drink when you want to go out and you know and enjoy yourself in the pub.
I will post more from her interviews soon.
Here is the agenda for the day.
10am: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, holds a press conference.
Morning: The Department for Transport is due to publish its full road safety strategy.
Noon: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.
After 12.30pm: MPs debate two Tory opposition day motions, on jury trials and rural communities.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
Share
Updated at 09.15 GMT
