London mayor orders council to drop plan to ban new pubs and restaurants in Soho and West End

The Guardian reports that London Mayor Sadiq Khan has directed Westminster council to abandon a proposed ban on new pubs and restaurants opening in Soho and the West End. The decision responds to the council's new licensing policy, which would restrict 'vertical drinking'—customers standing while consuming beverages—and require table service instead of bar orders. Khan is calling for a 'positive vision of economic growth' for the area's nightlife.

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