"I think we're heading down a very slippery slope as a country"
Labour is considering tougher rules on outdoor smoking to reduce the number of tobacco-related deaths.
Responding to reports that smoking could be banned in some outdoor spaces, Sir Keir Starmer said “we have got to take action” to reduce the burden it puts on the NHS.
Under new plans, smoking could be banned in pub gardens, outdoor restaurants, and outside hospitals and sports grounds.
On the proposals, Sir Keir said the government was “going to take decisions in this space” and more details would be revealed.
He said: “I think it’s important to get the balance right.”
Citing the latest NHS figures, he said smoking caused more than 80,000 preventable deaths a year in the UK.
Health professionals have welcomed the proposals.
Dr Layla McCay, of the NHS Confederation, said the plans would reduce “the huge problems that are caused to the individual and to society from smoking”.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said the public expected “not to have to breathe in tobacco smoke in places like children’s play areas and seating areas outside pubs, restaurants and cafés”.
However, she added it was important to ensure there were still outdoor areas for people to “smoke in the open air, rather than inside their homes”.
Some hospitality bosses have expressed concerns about the impact a ban could have on the sector.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade group UK Hospitality, said:
“This needs to be thought through very carefully before we damage businesses and economic growth and jobs.”
Meanwhile, JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin said:
“I don’t think it will have a big effect on our business, one way or another.”
The Conservative opposition has criticised the proposals as over-regulation.
Former home secretary Priti Patel said the plans amounted to “nanny state regulation” that would be “economically damaging”.
Former Home Office Minister Robert Jenrick said: “The last thing this country needs is thousands more pubs closing.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the proposals as “government overreach on a scale that is utterly ridiculous”.
He told the BBC: “Frankly if they do this, it will be the death knell of the pub.”
Members of the public have a mixed response to the proposed rule changes.
Echoing a similar opinion to Priti Patel, Arshad* told DESIblitz:
“Banning smoking in an outdoor space is the worst kind of interfering b******t.
“There is no health basis to it whatsoever, it is just a flat-out act of social control.”
Priya* said: “Even though I hate smoking, I think we’re heading down a very slippery slope as a country, and we are becoming too restrictive and puritanical.”
Believing it could negatively affect pubs, Raj* agreed and said:
“I hate smoking and was very happy when the indoor ban came in.
“Banning outdoors is a step too far for personal freedom. The UK is becoming far too much of a nanny state.
“It is also likely to be the last nail in the coffin for pubs.”
On the other hand, Sukhpreet* welcomed the proposals and called for vapes to be included.
She said: “The potential ban should also include vaping.
“It’s a beer garden not a designated smoking area.
“Not everyone wants vapists blowing butterscotch gas over them whilst they eat with their kids.”
“In my opinion, smokers are way more considerate in this respect.
“Vapists just clutch it to their chests and puff away every few seconds for hours. The addiction is real with this lot.”
Approximately 6.4 million people aged 18 and over in the UK smoked cigarettes in 2022, according to the most recently available data from the Office for National Statistics.
Since records began in 2011, that is the lowest proportion of current smokers.
Those aged 25-34 represent the highest proportion of smokers, while the lowest are those aged 65 and over.
In England alone, smoking caused an estimated 74,600 deaths in 2019.
There were 408,700 hospital admissions in England due to smoking in 2022-23.
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