London officials want to ban standing at the bar yes, really

You’ll have to sit down for this one …The UK council for the heart of London is pushing a bonkers new policy that would ban drinkers from standing up while having a drink.The Westminster City Council — which oversees one of the busiest nightlife districts in Europe — wants to ban what it labels “vertical drinking” in a bizarre bid to cut down on drunkenness, according to the Guardian. London Mayor Sadiq Khan is one of those making a stand against the crazy plan that could crush the $5 billion-a-year bar economy in the central part of the UK capital.“Restrictive and anti-growth policies aren’t working,” Khan told the Guardian in a scathing criticism of the proposal.“At a time when venues need our support more than ever, the rules on licensing are stacked against them,” the city’s mayor said, adding that he will use his powers as an elected official to fight the law with local policies he said will “protect London’s vital nightlife and hospitality industries.” The daft — sorry, draft — proposal calls for pubs to ditch “vertical drinking” in favor of table service, telling bars they can only get a license if they add seating and sell liquor and food “by waiter or waitress service only.”This would “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,” the proposal claims.“Our aim with this Statement of Licensing Policy is to promote a well-managed and varied day, evening and night-time, that delivers economic growth and social value – while also operating safely and responsibly and protecting the essence of our city,” the Westminster City Council said in a statement. The council, however, also acknowledged in the same statement that Westminster is home to the country’s largest concentration of licensed premises and the U...