Brits face pub backyard smoking ban as Daily Star consultants wade into row

Smoking could be banned in pub beer gardens, the Prime Minister confirms – but what do people make of it?

Restaurant terraces and potentially even the outside areas of nightclubs are all on the list of places that could see cigarette consumption go up in smoke. Following documents seen by The Sun, Keir Starmer has confirmed to the BBC that his Government is looking at banning smoking in some outdoor spaces.

The move would bolster the existing Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will also see an incremental age increase for buying smokes. It’s news which has already proven controversial. To some, it is a victory for public health. For others, it is a dystopian crackdown on our freedom.

READ MORE: Brits go barmy for queuing at the bar – Daily Star gives damning verdict on phenomenon

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Fear not though, because our writers, who are no strangers to a pub garden or two, have cut through the fog to reveal whether or not the ban is a good thing – Or they might just all disagree with each other and you’ll come away even more confused, who knows.

First on my opinion canvasing tour was our Showbiz and TV Editor, Jack Wetherill, who was quick to jump in with an impassioned plea for the protection of nightlife culture likely to speak for many a young Brit – and those with an appreciation of tradition.

“The smoking ban is a ridiculous idea!” he said. “The smoking area is where all the best fun happens on a night out – whether you smoke or are just out there for some air.

“Even people who don’t smoke get the itch for a cig as soon as they’ve had a sip of alcohol. It’s a British tradition!

“The smoking area is where you make those new ‘friends’ who you swear you’ll stay in touch with, only to wake up with no memory of who they are or why you’ve suddenly got five new Instagram followers.

“People are drinking and destroying their bodies with booze already, if an adult wants to smoke on a night out and make another bad decision, why shouldn’t they?”

But not everyone agreed, including Deputy Editor-in-Chief Andy Gilpin, who took the conversation back 17 years.

“April 7, 2007. The day of the smoking ban in Wales, something I was vehemently against.

“But, (and this doesn’t happen much) I was wrong. I now remember the days when you had to wash your clothes every time after a night out as a distant nightmare.

“As a part-time smoker back then, even I was amazed how much the indoor ban was a game changer.

“It’s one of those things you simply can’t fathom used to happen – like getting off the phone so someone can use the dial-up internet or the Argos catalogue – and when you go abroad the practice just seems a little dirty now.

“On the face of it, banning smoking in beer gardens, outside football grounds and even shisha bars sounds like a bad idea.

“But is it? Isn’t this the time we finally stamp out cigarettes in our society so future generations can ask ‘why the f*ck were you doing that grandad’?”

Others agreed, although not all had the luxury of being able to reflect on previous bans, such as Chief Reporter Charles Wade-Palmer, who focused more on what he stood to gain.

“Hallelujah, praise the Lord for I, *touches wood* will soon be able to bask in beer garden sunshine without dodging clouds of cigarette smoke,” he said. “I don’t want a hint of matey boy’s ash fog with every sip. Nor can I bear to listen to my friend beg for either a lighter or fag from reluctant strangers. ‘Sorry mate, you got a light I can borrow?’ Okay so maybe this is more of a him problem than a universal issue, but good grief, the idea of this painstaking conversation being axed by Sir Keir is exciting.”

Working hard to shroud any possible superiority complex, Charles went on to offer an alternative solution.

“Yet, given I spend half the year inside pubs’ four walls rather than outside, I propose a compromise. The Government’s approach to this smoking ban in outdoor spaces should be applied like rules stating when dogs can go on beaches.

“Give us non-smokers the summer, let’s say May to September to sit outside and breathe in the unspoiled Great British fresh air – arguably the perfect complement to a crisp pint.

“Then when the temperature drops and suddenly the thought of an afternoon session spent in the elements is less appealing, let the nicotine mafia free to puff as they please. Sorted.”

We’ll be sure to drop your manifesto off at Downing Street on the way home, Charles.

Via a quick and unrelated trip to the bin, the next person I spoke to was Senior Reporter Adam Cailler, who took an altogether more through-the-net-curtains approach.

He thought the ban was a “great idea,” adding, “Although many see it as the return of the ‘Nanny State’ there are some things that need stopping, and blowing smoke from ‘cancer sticks’ in people’s faces is one of those. Same with vapes. Ban ’em all.”

Carefully dodging the ocean of ‘Not In My Back Yard’ placards on his lawn as I left, I next spoke to Senior Features Writer Layla Nicholson, who felt that a ban went against her right to ‘burn up her lungs’ – and, crucially, would do our beloved pubs no favours at all.

“The pub is withering away as it is. But, banning the art of smoking will be its death sentence. In an age where people have lost the ability to interact with each other away from a screen, lighting up a fag is integral to keeping human connection alive.

“For me, nothing says ‘I’m alive and kicking’ quite like collectively burning up your lungs in the pub smoking area. But, having a social smoke does keep me feeling sentient – apart from speeding up my inevitable demise.

“It’s a means to make friends on nights out and is often my route to secure a free drink. We’re still firmly in a cost-of-living crisis, so don’t be a killjoy Starmer.”

Still not clear on how the news of a ban should be received, the final stop on the Daily Star tour was our in-house philosopher and Senior Reporter, Leigh McManus, who quite possibly spoke for a lot of the nation when he said: “I think this proposed ban serves to phase out smoking as a ‘normal’ behaviour, which I’m all for.

“However, having a ciggy in pub gardens, near football grounds and outside nightclubs is par for the course. These are places people go to let off steam and indulge, so why should we stop them?

“I don’t smoke, but I’ve never judged people who do. Adults can do whatever they want as long as they do it with decorum.

“The ban on smoking indoors made sense, I struggle to see how Keir Starmer’s new version does.”