It comes following a draft set of alcohol policies, published by the council, which encouraged venues to prioritise sitting areas over standing space in a bid to discourage so-called "vertical drinking".
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However, Paul Swaddle, the Conservative leader of Westminster City Council, said "there is no plan" to stop standing-up drinking in his borough.
Mr Swaddle said the policies are currently out for public consultation, with the survey due to close on Sunday.
A No 10 spokesperson said: "Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs."
They said that new licensing powers would be devolved to the mayor of London to help provide support to the city's pubs and nightlife.
"Soho did not become world famous by taking last orders early, switching the lights off at 10 o'clock," the spokesperson added.
"The prime minister encourages local leaders to work with the industry so that pubs can continue to thrive."
PM 'a defender' of pubs
Andy Burnham has previously vowed to be "a defender" for British pubs and recently announced plans to cut business rates by 20% for pubs, clubs and live music venues across England from April next year.
The prime minister described pubs as being "at the heart of high streets" and said it was "really important to signal" at the start of his premiership that he would support them.
Mr Burnham insisted he would "speak up for them and act".
Included in Westminster City Council's draft statement of licensing policy is an intention to "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".
One proposed policy is to "normally refuse" pub, bar, fast food or music venue licences in an area known as the West End cumulative impact zone – the area roughly between Oxford Street and Trafalgar Square, including Leicester Square and Soho.
"The introduction of measures to reduce the extent of, or to remove opportunities for, vertical drinking could address the underlying reasons for the policy," the document reads.
'We don't need lectures'
Mr Swaddle said he wanted "to be straight with people" and accused the press of writing "confusing stories" about what the document meant.
He said: "There is no plan, and never has been, to ban drinking while standing up in a Westminster pub."
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Mr Swaddle also hit back at London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who criticised the proposals on social media, writing: "You can't run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset."
The council leader said: "We don't need lectures from City Hall on backing hospitality when they have directed the police to object to every new licence application as their solution to curbing crime in the West End."
He added: "Growth is central to everything this administration is doing. That means backing our hospitality sector, not making things harder for them."
Business owners have also criticised the proposals, with one owner of a venue in Soho telling the Press Association that "we rely on those people standing up with the rents and the rates put upon us".
Meanwhile, a Conservative Party spokesperson said: "Standing inside or outside a pub with a pint in hand is a British tradition."
They also called for Westminster City Council to strike a balance between the nighttime economy and concerns from neighbours, adding: "We hope the council's consultation will recognise its importance whilst addressing any particular local issues in crowded late-night locations."
Speaking to Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast, she said she was "deeply unhappy throughout most" of her time in the role.
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Asked by Sky's political editor, Beth Rigby, whether she would ever go back into government, Ms Phillips said she wouldn't.
"I don't think I'm suited to it, Beth, is the actual answer... I won't go back in and do more of the same. So no is the answer," she said.
"I won't go back and be a junior minister who – whilst having an awful lot of gumption and kudos in the field – I won't go back and just start knocking heads together again."
Ms Phillips quit as a minister in May in an attempt to force Sir Keir Starmer out of his job and said that he "lacks the drive to get anything done with gusto".
'Nowhere near' halving violence against women and girls
The former safeguarding minister also said the government is "nowhere near the level of will and commitment it will actually take to halve" violence against women and girls (VAWG).
Halving VAWG within a decade was a key pledge of Labour's 2024 general election manifesto.
"The Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, if you were to do everything in it, you would probably drop [VAWG] by about 25%," she said.
As safeguarding minister, Ms Phillips led on the creation of the VAWG strategy.
She added that she used to give "gold stars" to ministers who took halving VAWG seriously – but expressed frustration that she didn't get enough buy-in across government on the work and that some departments didn't see tackling it as their responsibility.
"I understand other government departments have other priorities, but it's not my job to be flexible," she said. "I have one job, and it is to stop women having to be flexible about their safety."
Sky News has contacted the Home Office for a response.
Abdul El-Sayed – a Muslim, "democratic socialist" – defeated a centrist with the backing of major party figures in Michigan's Democrat Party primary.
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FIFA president Gianni Infantino is under pressure. But his key ally, Donald Trump, has gone all quiet. Has Donald just ended the bromance?
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We'll tell you how he responded.
It follows months of uncertainty surrounding one of Europe's biggest low-cost airlines as the industry struggles against surging costs from the Iran war.
The airline is the latest in a string of London-listed companies that have been taken private by private equity firms and largely US companies in recent years as the FTSE 100 share index has traded at a discount to its US counterpart.
Both easyJet and Apollo Global announced the deal on Thursday, after rival to the takeover, Castlelake, dropped out of the running.
"Having carefully reviewed the proposal by Apollo, my family members and I have decided to support the recommended acquisition announced by the easyJet board," easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou said in a separate statement after speculation of his approval.
EasyJet's board, advised by Evercore, unanimously recommended the cash offer, adding that it considered the terms fair and reasonable.
"While we remain confident in the strength of our business and the opportunities ahead, we believe this offer appropriately recognises the quality of the business we have built and delivers immediate, certain and attractive value for shareholders," easyJet non-executive chair, Stephen Hester, said.
Investment firm, Apollo, which manages about $1.05trn in assets and has previously invested in Sun Country Airlines, Aeromexico and Atlas Air, said it plans to accelerate easyJet's commercial ambitions - including broadening its fast-growing holidays business - under private ownership.
Earlier on Thursday, Castlelake withdrew from the takeover battle, but did not state a reason.
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The firm had tabled five bids for easyJet before Apollo entered the race in July, topping Castlelake's £5.5bn proposal and securing the backing of the airline's board.
Questions have been raised by investors and regulators about how Apollo will comply with European Union rules on airline ownership, given easyJet's bases across the bloc.
EasyJet's flying rights within the bloc depend on the airline staying majority-owned and controlled by EU interests.
Following the deal, Apollo expects Mr Haji-Ioannou's family and other shareholders that remain invested to hold between 45.1% and 49.9% of the ordinary capital of the purchasing vehicle.
An EU management trust will hold up to 5%, and Apollo's funds will hold the rest - up to a maximum of 49.9%.
EasyJet's main base is in Britain and the Civil Aviation Authority said it has contacted the parties involved in the deal.
EasyJet shares, which have rallied more than 65% since the initial takeover interest was disclosed, were still trading below Apollo's offer price at 670p by 4.08pm on the day of the announcement.
The Celebrity Big Brother 2016 winner had been placed on the sex offenders register, handed a five-year restraining order and given a 21-month jail sentence in 2023 for sharing a private sex tape of his ex-girlfriend, former The Only Way Is Essex star Georgia Harrison, on his OnlyFans website.
The tape was posted without Ms Harrison's knowledge or consent.
The 36-year-old was then charged with harassment for posting on social media between March and July last year about the case, in which sentenced in June.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he made degrading comments about Ms Harrison and encouraged others to comment about her in repeated posts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube, despite a restraining order banning him from doing so.
Ms Harrison, 31, gave police screenshots and screen recordings which showed Bear made a series of accusations and degrading comments about her.
At Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison and handed a new restraining order banning him from contacting Ms Harrison indefinitely.
Speaking after his sentence was handed down, Ms Harrison, who was appointed MBE in 2025, praised the police for their handling of the case, saying: "Essex Police took me seriously when so many women in my position are overlooked.
"They treated this as the serious crime it is - not a celebrity story. It is a real offence against a real person.
"They built the case properly, they stayed with it, and when the order was breached, they acted instead of shrugging. From the messages I get every day, I know how rare that still is.
"If every force treated this the way Essex Police did, thousands of women would feel safer today."
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Ms Harrison, who has previously waived her anonymity in this case, has starred in reality TV shows including The Only Way Is Essex and Love Island.
After becoming a victim of revenge porn, Ms Harrison has actively campaigned against violence against women and girls.
Bear's behaviour shouldn't be 'normalised or accepted'
Detective Constable Swarv Stafin, who led the investigation into the breach of the restraining order, said: "Stephen Bear's behaviour is not okay and it should not be normalised or accepted.
"The impacts of being harassed are very real. It causes a great deal of stress and anxiety - it is something no-one should have to experience."
Mr Stafin also paid tribute to Ms Harrison's "courage and dignity," adding, "I would urge anyone that is experiencing any sort of harassing behaviour to the police, no matter how small or big it is, it will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly."
Bear was taken into immediate custody and must serve at least half before release.