Smoking ban in pub gardens and outdoor venues being considered due to ‘huge burden’ on NHS, Starmer says
A ban on smoking in pub gardens and other outdoor venues is being considered because of the “huge burden” smoking puts on the NHS and the taxpayer, Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed.
The prime minister said ministers were looking at banning smoking in other places too, including outdoor restaurants and outside sports venues, hospitals, nightclubs and in some small parks.
Sir Keir confirmed the proposal on Thursday following a leaked report seen by The Sun newspaper.
He said: “My starting point on this is to remind everyone that over 80,000 people lose their lives every year to smoking, that’s a preventable death, it’s a huge burden on the NHS and of course on the taxpayer.
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Smoking ban in pub gardens and outdoor venues being considered, says PM
“So, yes we are going to take decisions in this space. More details will be revealed but this is a preventable cause of deaths and we’ve got to take the action to reduce the burden on the NHS and reduce the burden on the taxpayer.”
The plan has been welcomed by health campaigners who believe the measure would help protect people from the dangers of second-hand smoke.
But the proposal has drawn heavy criticism from others, with accusations of the government imposing on people’s freedoms and being the “final nail in the coffin” of the hospitality industry.
The prime minister was asked about possible smoking bans while on a visit to France. Pic: PA
Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, said: “This raises the critical question: Are we on the brink of becoming a nanny state? What is next?
“While these measures may rightly be driven by public health considerations, they risk dividing opinion and imposing yet another regulatory burden on businesses already facing considerable challenges.
“At a time when our industry desperately needs the freedom to trade, the last thing we need is further barriers.”
Mr Kill said many of the 6.4 million people who smoke in the UK “enjoy doing so in social settings like beer gardens”.
“We must question whether such an approach is truly in the public interest, or whether it risks over-regulation at the cost of personal freedom and business viability,” he added.
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Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said a ban could cause “serious economic harm to hospitality venues” as she cited the “significant” number of pub closures after smoking was banned indoors in 2007 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 2006 in Scotland.
She said it would also affect hotels, cafes and restaurants and called on the government to talk to the hospitality industry before any laws are passed.
“It must also assess whether such a ban would achieve its aims of meaningfully reducing smoking or simply relocate smoking elsewhere, such as in the home,” she added.
A number of Conservative MPs also spoke out against the plan, despite their own plans to curb smoking for younger people, with shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins posting on X: “We want to protect our children from taking up smoking and vaping. Our smoke-free generation legislation was designed to do that.
“Stopping adults from smoking in the open air, however, was not part of our plans. Labour is putting our hospitality sector at risk in the process.”
Reform leader Nigel Farage also told one newspaper he would “never go to the pub again if outdoor smoking was banned”.
But the chief executive of Action on Smoking Health (ASH) Deborah Arnott said: “The priority is to get the bill back in parliament and put on the statute book, to end smoking for the next generation and curb youth vaping.
“ASH would support the inclusion of powers to extend smoke-free laws outdoors, subject to consultation.”
“However, it’s also important to ensure that there are still outdoor areas where people who smoke can smoke in the open air, rather than inside their homes.”
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A Department of 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 finally make Britain smoke-free.”
A smoking ban inside of pubs and other enclosed public spaces and work places was brought in by Labour in 2007.
According to ASH, in the year after the new law was imposed, there was a 2.4% reduction in hospital admissions for heart attacks and a 12.3% reduction in hospital admissions for childhood asthma.
Rishi Sunak after he led his party to a landslide election defeat. Pic: PA
This Labour government has previously said it would resurrect Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban, which was shelved before the election.
The King’s speech at July’s opening of Parliament promised to reintroduce the legislation to increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes progressively.
Under the proposed smoking ban, a 14-year-old today will never legally be able to buy a cigarette.
In the speech, Labour also laid out plans to impose limits on the sale and marketing of vapes.
All GP surgeries in England are required to offer online appointment bookings from today.
Practices must keep their websites and app services available from at least 8am to 6.30pm, Monday through Friday, for non-urgent appointments, medication queries and admin requests.
Many surgeries are already offering online bookings and consultations, but services are typically less effective in working-class areas.
The Department of Health and Social Care says there is a lack of consistency, as some surgeries that offer online services are choosing to switch the function off during busier periods.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has argued safeguards have not been put in place, nor have extra staff been brought in to manage what it anticipates will be a “barrage of online requests.”
The BMA has said GPs are considering a range of actions after voting to enter a dispute with the government over the plan.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has urged the BMA to embrace the plan, saying the union’s resistance is “a real disservice to so many GPs” who have already introduced the service.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting says booking a GP appointment should be as easy as booking a takeaway. Pic: PA
‘As easy as booking a takeaway’
The minister said the government will help practices that need assistance to implement the plan, “but we’ve got to modernise”.
Mr Streeting told the Labour Party conference: “Many GPs already offer this service because they’ve changed with the times.
“Why shouldn’t be booking a GP appointment be as easy as booking a delivery, a taxi, or a takeaway? And our policy comes alongside a billion pounds of extra funding for general practice and 2,000 extra GPs.
“Yet the BMA threatens to oppose it in 2025. Well, I’ll give you this warning; if we give in to the forces of conservatism, they will turn the NHS into a museum of 20th century healthcare.”
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The measure is part of the broader government pledge to transform the NHS.
Sir Keir Starmer has revealed plans to establish a nationwide “online hospital” by 2027, enabling patients to receive treatment and care from home.
The government said the initiative could provide up to 8.5 million additional NHS appointments within its first three years.
Available via the NHS app, it will allow patients to schedule in-person procedures at local hospitals, surgical hubs or diagnostic centres, reducing delays.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not believe Nigel Farage or Reform voters are racist – and also refused to label Donald Trump’s claim that London wants “Sharia law” as such.
The prime minister told Sky News political editor Beth Rigby the president’s claim – made while criticising the capital’s mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, during a UN summit last week – was “nonsense”.
Asked if it was racist, considering Sir Sadiq is a Muslim, Sir Keir said: “I have been really clear that the idea that in London we’re introducing Sharia law is rubbish.”
He said the mayor – who has branded Mr Trump “racist, sexist, misogynistic” – was doing a “very good job”, but also pointed to his “very good relationship” with the president.
Sir Keir also insisted he does not think Mr Farage or Reform supporters are racist, after targeting the party in his Labour conference speech and claiming its leader “hates Britain”.
Earlier in the week, Sir Keir called Reform’s freshly announced immigration policies “racist” and “immoral”.
Asked if he thinks Mr Farage is a racist, he said: “No, nor do I think Reform voters are racist.
“They’re concerned about things like our borders, they’re frustrated about the pace of change.
“So I’m not for a moment suggesting that they are racist.”
He said he was “talking about a particular policy”, which would see Reform axe the right of migrants to apply for indefinite leave to remain, ban anyone who is not a UK citizen from claiming benefits, and force those applying for UK citizenship to renounce other citizenship.
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Reform ‘taking country down road of toxic division’
Sir Keir also refused to say whether he thinks Mr Farage is dangerous, saying: “I think the fight at the next election is going to define us as a country for years to come.
“I think it’s a dangerous moment for the country.”
He said he would not “get into labelling the man”.
“I’m talking about the ideas and what he stands for and what I stand for,” he added.
“I think that taking our country down the road of toxic division where you don’t want to fix problems because if they’re fixed, you lose your reason to exist, I think that is dangerous for our country.”
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Farage: Starmer unfit to be PM
Mr Farage reacted to Sir Keir’s speech by accusing him of being “unfit to be the prime minister of our country”.
“I used to think the prime minister was a decent man, somebody that I could talk to and chat to,” he said.
“We might disagree on our worldview, but I thought he was a profoundly decent human being. I am completely shocked at his behaviour.
“I hope when he wakes up tomorrow morning he feels ashamed of what he has done. This is a desperate last throw of the dice for the prime minister who’s in deep trouble, a prime minister who can’t even command the support of half of his own party.
“But I’m sorry to say, I now believe he is unfit to be the prime minister of our country.”
Princess Anne has placed a toy bear as a poignant tribute at a children’s memorial in Ukraine, during an unexpected visit to the war-ravaged country where she also met Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The King’s sister travelled to the capital Kyiv on Tuesday, at the request of the Foreign Office, in a show of solidarity with children and families facing the horrors of the Russian invasion.
The Princess Royal met Mr Zelenskyy to discuss the UK’s support for Ukraine and its ongoing resistance.
The Princess Royal and First Lady Olena Zelenska laid soft toys during a visit to a memorial for children killed in the war. Pic: PA
Anne’s secret visit, which was not publicised beforehand for security reasons, came just two days after a Russian aerial bombardment killed at least four people in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old girl, and injured at least 70 others.
The attack, which lasted more than 12 hours, was one of the heaviest in recent months.
The purpose of her trip was to highlight the traumatic experiences of children living on the frontline, Buckingham Palace said.
Joining First Lady Olena Zelenska at the children’s memorial, Anne left the teddy in tribute to youngsters killed in the conflict, saying her daughter Zara Tindall had the same bear.
As the 75-year-old princess stepped back after placing the traditional-looking teddy at the base of the memorial alongside scores of other cuddly toys, she told Mrs Zelenska: “That was one that my daughter had.”
Mrs Zelenska also left a bear in tribute.
Anne is the latest British royal to make a trip to Kyiv. Pic: PA
The site commemorates more than 650 children who have died since the start of the conflict in 2022.
In Kyiv, she also met female police and armed forces representatives and heard about their key role protecting women and children.
Visiting the Child Rights Protection Centre, she spoke to families and children who have been returned and reintegrated, and met some of those working to return more Ukrainian children.
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Princess Anne spoke to young people who lived under occupation. Pic: PA
The Princess Royal met Ukrainian war veterans relaxing in a salt therapy room at a rehabilitation centre. Pic: PA
More than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred or deported by the Russian authorities to Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Princess Anne is the second working royal to visit Ukraine.
In April last year, the Duchess of Edinburgh was the first to go and bring a letter of support from the King.
Anne’s trip also follows that of her nephew Prince Harry, who made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital just over two weeks ago with a team from his Invictus Games Foundation.
Anne also visited a rehabilitation centre, where she met Ukrainian veterans returning from the frontline.
The King has met Mr Zelenskyy a number of times and marked the country’s independence day in August by sending a message of solidarity.
During Donald Trump’s recent state visit to the UK, Charles also took the opportunity to stress the importance of supporting Ukraine.
He told the US president in his banquet speech: “Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace.”
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