Plans to ban smoking in beer gardens may very well be dropped as authorities ‘spooked’

Government plans to ban smoking in beer gardens could be dropped amid warnings from the hospitality industry.

It was reported No10 is blocking the proposal after being “spooked” the crackdown could lead to job losses and pub closures.

In the summer Keir Starmer said the government was looking at plans to ban smoking from some outdoor spaces including pubs and nightclubs. A leak of government documents suggested at the time that lighting up could be banned outside hospitals, sports stadiums and children’s parks.

Speaking in August, the PM 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.”

But according to the Guardian, Downing Street has been “spooked” by warnings from the hospitality industry that it could lead to pub closures. One No10 official told the newspaper: “It is an unserious policy. Nobody really believes smoking outdoors is a major health problem”.

While the ban could still apply to some areas including hospital grounds, one government source told The Mirror: “No decision has been taken on pubs and hospitality”.

The crackdown would have been 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.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We do not comment on leaks. Smoking claims 80,000 lives a year, puts huge pressure on our NHS, and costs taxpayers billions. We are determined to protect children and non-smokers from the harms of second-hand smoking. We’re considering a range of measures to put us on track to a Smoke-free UK.”