The Groucho Club has been forced to close as police investigate whether the venue was the scene of a serious criminal offence.
On Tuesday Westminster council ruled that the licence of the club, which counts many A-list celebrities among its members, 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”.
The closure comes as the run-up to Christmas is beginning – usually one of the most lucrative times of year.
The Groucho Club’s chief executive, Elli Jafari, wrote to members and apologised for the temporary closure on Tuesday, adding that it had taken 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,” Jafari said.
A council spokesperson said: “Following a request from the Metropolitan police and with the agreement of the operator, the council’s licensing subcommittee 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’ licensing conditions.
“The allegations are subject to an ongoing police investigation and we cannot comment further at this stage.”
A receptionist at the club, where membership reportedly costs up to £1,500 a year, confirmed that the club’s licence had been suspended and declined to make any further comments.
The Groucho Club, in Dean Street, Soho, was founded in 1985 by a group of publishers and agents, and has been frequented by successive generations of artists, writers and musicians. It took its name from Groucho Marx, who famously said he would did not want to belong to any club that would have him as a member.