The following from Hamish Birchall

Once again licensing and music minister James Purnell has turned to White Stripes to justify ending the 'two in a bar rule'. In yesterday's Commons debate on licensing, he said:

'The current law is full of anomalies. The "two in a bar" rule, for example means that the White Stripes, - as the House knows, one of the most successful bands in the world but which has only two members - could turn up in a local pub and put on a concert for thousands of people.'

It is worth remembering that Purnell was one of a group of highly regarded Oxbridge educated advisers to Number 10 who 'just cannot hide the fact that they are very, very clever', according to a friend quoted in The Observer ('Labour's New', Kamal Ahmed, 2 June 2002 - http://www.davidlammy.co.uk/da/15759

You can read the (long) debate at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm050712/debtext/50712-23.htm#50712-23_head0