Police chief slams Andy Burnham's plan to let football fans drink in the stands

From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026.

Mark Roberts, the outgoing national police lead for football, has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to drop his proposal to allow fans to consume alcohol while watching play, warning that scrapping the rule risks "unpicking" decades of hard-won safety gains. Roberts, who has held the national football policing lead since 2014, said he would "absolutely" advise against overturning the 1985 Sporting Events Act. He dismissed the case for change as weak, noting that fans can already drink before, at half-time, and after matches.

Roberts warned that complacency after years without tragedy is now the biggest danger facing football safety.

Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra has also rejected Burnham's push, saying allowing terrace drinking would be "a step too far" in Scotland given a recent surge in pitch invasions and fan violence.