Pub bosses have hit out at Keir Starmer’s plan to look at extending the indoor smoking ban to outdoor spaces, saying it could ‘destabilise’ an industry already under ‘immense’ pressure.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed Labour is looking to extend the indoor smoking ban brought in under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to try and ease the pressure on the NHS.
If the ban was brought in, it could mean that people could be stopped from smoking in places such as pub gardens, include restaurant and cafe terraces, children’s parks, and shisha bars.
Smokers would also be barred from lighting up outside nightclubs, sports stadiums and universities – but it would still be allowed in open spaces like parks and streets and there would be no restriction on smoking in private homes.
But industry bosses criticised the idea, saying they’re fearful for the industry’s future if it was made law.
Tom Bott, founder of London-based beer brewer Signature Brew, said: ‘Independent breweries and pubs, which rely heavily on creating welcoming outdoor spaces for all customers, are facing unprecedented challenges.
‘Legislation like this, without adequate consideration of its economic impact, risks further destabilising an industry already under immense pressure.
‘We need support, not more obstacles, to ensure our long-term prosperity.’
Clive Watson, chairman of Inda pub group, who also founded City Pub Group, called the policy ‘a bonkers idea’.
He said: ‘Surely, after all the pub industry has been through, we should be allowed a period of stability.’
Rob Pitcher, chief executive of Revolution Bars, added: ‘As a non-smoker who spends a reasonable amount of my time in pub beer gardens, secondary smoke can occasionally be annoying, but I’m not convinced it’s prevalent enough to be putting any strain at all on the NHS.
The government is keen to cut down on the places where people will encounter second-hand smoke (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
‘The potential ban on those grounds feels like an overreach by the state.’
Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said the reports ‘have understandably caused concern across the sector’.
He 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.’
Opposition MPs also blasted the idea as damaging to individual freedom and hospitality businesses that are already struggling.
Tory leadership candidate and former Home Secretary Priti Patel also described the move as ‘nanny state regulation’.
She added: ‘These are small businesses, run by hardworking people, that provide jobs up and down the country.
‘Labour is devoid of ideas and has no economic plan and is now reduced to nanny state policies to pacify their socialist base and take freedoms and choices away from the British people.’
Robert Jenrick, who is also running to become leader of the Conservatives, said: ‘The last thing this country needs is thousands more pubs closing.
‘Our country faces huge challenges. Why is Starmer focusing on this nonsense?’
The proposals are expected to form part of an updated Tobacco and Vapes Bill – the same legislation that would stop people born after January 1 2009 from ever legally buying cigarettes.
Starmer committed to moving ahead with the bill, which would also bring in stringent restrictions for vapes to stop them appealing to kids, in the King’s Speech last month.
Speaking to reporters in Paris, where he is attending the start of the Paralympics, the PM said: ‘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 extra restrictions are reportedly being considered as ministers are concerned about how often Brits are exposed to second-hand smoke.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said they would not comment on leaks, but added: ‘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.’
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