24-hour u-turn dismissed as hype

Trade groups have dismissed media reports that Gordon Brown is set to do a U-turn on the new Licensing Act, claiming his comments are just "conference posturing".

Prior to his speech at the Labour Party Conference last week, the Prime Minister said he "will not hesitate" to make changes to the new licensing laws and admitted there were "problems".

In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "Where there are things that are wrong and where mistakes have been made we will change these things. I will not hesitate to change policy if I think that we have to make these changes in the interests of the country."

The national media leapt on these comments, suggesting Labour were preparing to reverse the Licensing Act.

Brown added: "Generally speaking in some areas where we have looked at it, it has worked but there are problems and we have got to look whether the answer is to change that."

However Nick Bish, chief executive of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, said: "It's just conference posturing. This really is nothing new. He's just making a statement that will keep us as an industry on our toes."

Government departments are currently collecting evidence on the impact of the Act and a review is due to published by the end of the year.

Mark Hastings, director of communications at the British Beer & Pub Association said: "This review was announced when the Act first came in. We wholeheartedly support it and are confident it will highlight the positive impact the Act has had."

Asked about Mr Brown's comments, a spokeswoman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said there had been a long-standing commitment to review the new laws, which were introduced in 2005, after two years.

"It's an on-going review, so we will look at the evidence," he said.