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 are looking at banning smoking in various places, including pub gardens, 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.

“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 proposal has drawn heavy criticism, with accusations of the government imposing on people’s freedoms and being the “final nail in the coffin” of the hospitality industry.

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.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, 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.

Reem Ibrahim, from the Institute of Economic Affairs thinktank, said an outdoor ban would be “another nail in the coffin for the pub industry”.

“The government’s own impact assessment concluded that banning smoking outdoors will lead to pub closures and job losses,” she said.

“Pubs and other private venues should be able to determine their own outdoor smoking rules – just as they should be allowed to decide whether to play music, serve food or show football on TV.

“Smoking rates are already declining in the UK, in large part due to smokers switching to safer alternatives to combustible cigarettes.

“The government should look to countries like Sweden, which has attained the lowest prevalence of smoking in the world not by implementing nanny state measures like this proposal, but by allowing adults to choose safer and healthier products.”

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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.”

The government has previously said it will 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.