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2 years ago

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Pubs will not be allowed to sell takeaway pints from the end of next month as rules which were introduced during the pandemic will be allowed to expire by the government.

Takeaway alcohol was first introduced in 2020 to help pubs during lockdowns and other safety restrictions amid the spread of COVID-19.

Pubs with an on-site alcohol licence developed the option as another revenue stream, serving many pints through hatches when they were forced to close their premises.

But the government has refused to extend the rules allowing for takeaway pints after a consultation attracted just 174 responses – a decision which has been branded “disappointing” by the British Beer and Pub Association.

Pubs will need to apply for permission from their local council if they want to continue selling takeaway alcohol when the current rules end on 30 September.

The Home Office said councils, drinks retailers and residents’ groups had preferred a return to pre-COVID rules.

But industry groups representing pubs and landlords said the decision would create more “unnecessary regulation” with no guarantee councils will approve applications for licence changes for individual premises.

Last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is teetotal, was heckled at the Great British Beer Festival in London when he claimed alcohol duty reforms are “backing British pubs”.

His visit came on the day of an alcohol duty increase.

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Rishi Sunak heckled while pulling a pint

Read more:
‘Running a pub is worse now than during COVID’
Over 150 pubs close in first three months of the year

A new system taxing all alcohol based on its strength has seen taxes rise for some types of drink.

A publican who heckled Mr Sunak criticised the Tory leader for having the “audacity” to visit the festival.

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Rudi Keyser, who runs a pub in Wimbledon, said: “The amount of breweries that have shut down in the last year has been phenomenal.

“They are raising alcohol duty across the board significantly.

“And he has the audacity to come and pull a pint for PR.”

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Politics

MEV bot trial ends in mistrial after jury deadlock on brothers’ verdict

Published

7 hours ago

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November 8, 2025

By

MEV bot trial ends in mistrial after jury deadlock on brothers’ verdict

A New York jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case of Anton and James Peraire-Bueno, the MIT-educated brothers accused of fraud and money laundering related to a 2023 exploit of the Ethereum blockchain that resulted in the removal of $25 million in digital assets.

In a Friday ruling, US District Judge Jessica Clarke declared a mistrial in the case after jurors failed to agree on whether to convict or acquit the brothers, Inner City Press reported.

The decision came after a three-week trial in Manhattan federal court,  resulting in differing theories from prosecutors and the defense regarding the Peraire-Buenos’ alleged actions involving maximal extractable value (MEV) bots.

A MEV attack occurs when traders or validators exploit transaction ordering on a blockchain for profit. Using automated MEV bots, they front-run or sandwich other trades by paying higher fees for priority.

In the brothers’ case, they allegedly used MEV bots to “trick” users into trades. The exploit, though planned by the two for months, reportedly took just 12 seconds to net the pair $25 million.

In closing arguments to the jury this week, prosecutors argued that the brothers “tricked” and “defrauded” users by engaging in a “bait and switch” scheme, allowing them to extract about $25 million in crypto. They cited evidence suggesting that the two plotted their moves for months and researched potential consequences of their actions. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, bait and switch is not a trading strategy,” said prosecutors on Tuesday, according to Inner City Press. “It is fraud. It is cheating. It is rigging the system. They pretended to be a legitimate MEV-Boost validator.” 

Related: MEV bot exploit heads to US court, testing crypto’s legal gray zones

In contrast, defense lawyers for the Peraire-Buenos pushed back against the US government’s theory of the two pretending to be “honest validators” to extract the funds, though the court ultimately allowed the argument to be presented to the jury.  

“This is like stealing a base in baseball,” said the defense team on Tuesday. “If there’s no fraud, there’s no conspiracy, there’s no money laundering.”