According to The Guardian, Westminster City Council ruled on Tuesday (26 November) that the licence of the the famed private members club should be immediately suspended for 28 days.
A full hearing will then take place.
The Metropolitan Police said it had applied for the suspension ‘on the grounds that the venue had breached its licensing conditions and had been the scene of a recent serious criminal offence’.
In a note to members, The Groucho’s chief executive, Elli Jafari, apologised for the closure and said the club took the application to review its licence ‘very seriously’.
“The club’s licence has been suspended by agreement with Westminster city council and we have made the decision to close the club pending a full hearing before Christmas,” she said.
Founded in 1985 by a group of women publishers as an alternative to London’s male-dominated private members clubs, The Groucho Club has a storied history, home to many famous artists and cultural figures. Its name derives from the famous Groucho Marx line: “I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.”
High-end hospitality operator Artfarm owns the business having acquired it back in 2022.
Regarding the license suspension, a Westminster City Council spokesperson said: “Following a request from the Metropolitan Police and with the agreement of the operator, the council’s licensing sub-committee has decided to suspend the Groucho Club’s licence with immediate effect on the basis that the premises is associated with serious crime.
“This decision follows reports that a serious crime may have taken place at the premises in circumstances linked to a breach in the premises licencing conditions.
“The allegations are subject to an ongoing police investigation, and we cannot comment further at this stage.”