PM confirms he is taking a look at smoking ban in pub gardens and sports activities venues
Keir Starmer has confirmed he is looking at banning smoking from some outdoor spaces such as pub gardens.
Smoking could be banned from specified 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.
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.”
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.
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