After years of delay, legislation to permit round-the-clock pub opening will finally be announced in the Queen's Speech today.

The heavily trailed move has been mooted since Labour came to power but still faces opposition from brewers, councils and MPs.

The legislation will pave the way for pubs and bars to serve alcohol all day and all night and will transfer licensing powers from magistrates to local authorities.

The law is expected to be passed by the summer of 2003.

A white paper on the reforms was published in April 2001 and the pledge was used to encourage young people to vote Labour.

The party sent text messages calling on young voters to support Tony Blair if they "cldnt give a XXXX 4 last ordrs".

Despite the election pledge, the legislation mysteriously disappeared in the weeks after the election.

Licensing minister Kim Howells claimed the delay was a result of the need for anti-terrorism legislation after 11 September.

Howells says that the end to the present licensing rules will bring England and Wales into line with Scotland and other European countries.

"This will have a civilising influence on our drinking culture" he said.

"We are one of the only countries that I know which insist on pubs closing at a certain time when all the evidence, particularly from the police, is that it leads to binge drinking and violence which spills out onto the streets."

In an interview with ePolitix.com earlier this year, Howells said that: "We're adults, we can decide when we want to eat and drink and enjoy ourselves in premises that sell alcohol.

"And that if licensees are not behaving themselves - if they're allowing unruly houses and if they become a mecca for violence and disorder - then the Police can close them down and should close them down.

"And with those safeguards in place I don't see why we can't be like virtually every other country on earth and have licensing hours that fit the needs of sophisticated people."

But while the Brewers and Licensed Retailers' Association are in support some of Britain's biggest brewers remain opposed to the idea.

Shepherd Neame and JD Wetherspoon say that longer opening hours would mean higher staff costs, greater bureaucracy and an increase in the price of pub licences."However long pubs open for, there is only a certain amount of money consumers are willing to spend," said Stuart Neame, the vice-chairman of Shepherd Neame.

"This is likely to tip those pubs which are marginally viable into being non-viable".

Neame said the changes would increase the cost of running the country's 70,000 pubs by more than £210 million a year.

To cover the cost the price of a pint would have to rise by an average of five pence.

The Transport and General Workers Union has also expressed its concerns - despite being "not opposed to change".

The union's national organiser for food and agriculture, Brian Revell has written to Howells warning "the concerns of our members to ensure their welfare and security" must not be ignored.