Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly planning to abandon a proposed ban on smoking in pub gardens, according to the Sun.
Senior figures at Downing Street, including the PM’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, are said to have been alarmed by warnings of job losses and venue closures.
Instead, it is understood that cigarettes will be banned outside hospitals and schools. The proposals sparked outrage among smokers with some businesses pointing to potential devastating effects on the country’s pubs, clubs and restaurants.
A Number 10 official told The Guardian: “It is an unserious policy. Nobody really believes smoking outdoors is a major health problem.”
It is reported that the PM and Health Secretary Wes Streeting have not yet approved the final legislation. The legislation is expected to be presented to Parliament in the coming weeks.
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Major concerns include the impact on hospitality businesses if smokers were prohibited from lighting up outside a pub or restaurant. UK Hospitality, the trade body, warned that the ban could cause “serious economic harm to hospitality venues” and would affect nightclubs, hotels, cafes and restaurants as well as pubs, reports the Express.
The British Beer and Pub Association described the plan as “deeply concerning and difficult to understand” and “yet another blow to the viability of our nation’s vital community assets”. They estimated that three pubs would close every week if the ban was implemented.
Michelle Mitchell, the chief executive of Cancer Research UK, expressed her concerns: “It’s concerning that delays to the Tobacco and Vapes bill are rumbling on. The clock is ticking and it’s time for the UK government to make good on their promise to tackle the harms of tobacco”.
Meanwhile, Hazel Cheeseman, the chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, also weighed in: “Given the commitment in the king’s speech to legislation it has been concerning to see little public progress. Outdoor smoking restrictions are important to debate and could help more people avoid harms from second-hand smoke and help those quitting smoking to avoid relapse”.
On Monday (October 21) , Health Secretary Wes Streeting pledged to ramp up smoking laws with a “more ambitious” bill than the one proposed by the Conservatives. The previous Tobacco and Vapes Bill aimed to create a smoke-free generation by preventing anyone born after January 1, 2009, from legally purchasing tobacco and imposing tighter controls on the sale and marketing of vapes to children.
Streeting announced his intentions to reporters at an east London health facility: “We will introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill before Christmas.”
He 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 put us on track to a smoke-free UK.”
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