Inside plan to ban smoking in pub gardens and sport venues – from legal guidelines to vapes

Keir Starmer has confirmed he is looking at banning smoking from some outdoor spaces such as pub gardens.

Smoking could be banned from outdoor areas including outside nightclubs and restaurant terraces in a clampdown on tobacco use across the country. Ministers are said to be considering a number of policies as Mr Starmer accelerates plans to make Britain smoke-free – which is achieved when adult smoking prevalence falls to 5% or less.

The Prime Minister confirmed to journalists in Paris that he is looking at changes to smoking laws after leaked documents suggested smoking would be banned in outside sports stadiums, in children’s parks, in pub gardens, outside nightclubs, on restaurant terraces, on pavements by universities and hospitals and in Shisha bars.

Asked about the reports, Mr Starmer said: “My starting point on this is to remind everybody that over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking. That is a preventable death, it’s a huge burden on the NHS and, of course, it is a burden on the taxpayer. So, yes, we are going to take decisions in this space, more details will be revealed, but this is a preventable series of deaths and we’ve got to take action to reduce the burden on the NHS and the taxpayer.”

Here’s a look at what could be included in the plan and where it’s come from.

What is the plan to ban smoking outdoors?

Smoking could be banned from pub gardens, outside nightclubs and restaurant terraces in a clampdown on tobacco use across the country. Ministers are said to be considering plans to restrict smoking in outdoor areas as Mr Starmer accelerates plans to make Britain smoke-free.

According to leaked government documents, smoking would be banned in outside sports stadiums, in children’s parks, in pub gardens, outside nightclubs, on restaurant terraces, on pavements by universities and hospitals and in Shisha bars. The crackdown would be included in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was set out in the King’s Speech when Labour was elected to Government. The legislation will extend UK-wide, although the measures may be applied in different ways across the UK.

Is the plan new?

Yes and no. When he was Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak wanted to ban the next generation of children from ever being able to smoke. Under his plan, anyone born after January 1 2009 will be blocked from legally buying cigarettes. Mr Sunak had hoped the smoking ban would be his legacy as PM but called a snap election before the legislation could get through.

Labour vowed to revive the policy with its own Tobacco and Vapes Bill. But Mr Starmer appears to be considering a significantly toughened up version of the legislation that his predecessor had planned.

The plan to ban youngsters from buying cigarettes, by effectively raising the legal age for tobacco purchase by one year every year, was recommended by Dr Javed Khan in his landmark review on how the country can become smoke-free by 2030. Curbing smoking outdoors was another key recommendation but the Tory government had not indicated accepting it.

In his report, Dr Khan recommended the Government “increase smokefree places to de-normalise smoking and protect young people from second-hand smoke” and to “strengthen smokefree legislation in hospitality, hospital grounds and outdoor public spaces”.

Is vaping included in the plan?

So far, it’s unclear how much vapers could be impacted. According to the Sun, who got hold of the leaked Whitehall documents, the plans mention vape-free areas but are not clear about whether the outdoor ban will extend to e-cigarettes.

While the long-term effects of vaping are largely unknown, it is promoted as a useful – and less harmful – way to quit smoking. But concerns have been raised over the past year about a boom in child vaping. The Tobacco and Vapes bill had already committed to cracking down on vapes branded and advertised with appealing colours and packaging aimed at kids, but Mr Starmer could go further and include them in the outdoors area ban.

As the plans have not been released through an official announcement, a Government spokesman refused to “comment on leaks”. But they did not reject the claims, as such, instead they added: “We are determined to protect children and non-smokers from the harms of second-hand smoking. We’re considering a range of measures to finally make Britain smoke-free.”

Could the smoking restrictions get even tougher?

Dr Khan made a host of recommendations in his review. If ministers are considering one as controversial as a pub garden smoking ban, it is likely they are also considering others.

When grilled by MPs on Mr Sunak’s smoking ban earlier this year, Dr Khan said he hoped the Government “embrace” his other ideas as he said: “Any one thing is not going to be enough but it’s a collective approach.” He suggested other recommendations that could be adopted such as changing the colour of cigarettes to brown or green, which research has shown makes them less attractive to smokers.

He also said messages could be written on individual cigarettes telling a smoker they’ve just lost 20 minutes of their life from the last puff they had. Canada became the first country to print warning messages directly on cigarettes last August, with labels on each cigarette including: “Cigarettes cause cancer” and “Poison in every puff”.

What have previous Labour governments done on smoking?

One of Tony Blair’s key legacies as Labour PM was making making it illegal to smoke indoors in England, which came into force in 2007. At the time, he faced a pushback from stakeholders but it is now considered one of the key heath wins of his Government.