The MU's comments will not make comfortable reading for the DCMS, which opened a consultation two months ago to consider exempting small live music performances from the Licensing Act.

The Government has had more than 100 responses to this consultation, which runs until the end of next month and asked stakeholders a series of questions including whether the exemption should be limited to the numbers it suggests.

In its five-page submission, which comes a couple of weeks after the Live ...