‘The end of pubs,’ Farage leads fury over ‘nanny state’ smoking ban plan sparking fears thousands more boozers will shut
LEAKED plans to ban smoking in pub gardens has sparked up a massive backlash today – with bosses declaring it a hammer blow.
Secret government proposals to outlaw cigarettes in a raft of outdoor locations have been exclusively revealed by The Sun.
Lighting up will be stubbed out at outdoor restaurants, open-air spaces at clubs, and outside football stadiums.
Sir Keir Starmer is pushing ahead with the drastic plans in a bid to phase out tobacco and spare non-smokers from passive smoking.
But the hospitality sector sounded the alarm that it could cripple already-struggling pubs and bars – while Nigel Farage warned it could spell the “end of pubs”.
Kate Nicholls, the chair of Hospitality UK, said the proposals were of a “huge degree of concern”.
She told LBC: “This wouldn’t just affect pub gardens… It’s also restaurant areas. It’s the cafes. It’s the high streets. It’s the seating that’s outside those areas.
“So where there’s been a heavy investment made in the period post-Covid into creating those outside areas, which have brought so much light and life to our town centres and high streets.
“This would be a very significant impact on those customers that use those areas, both smokers and non smokers.”
However backers of an outdoor smoking ban said it would both help save lives and billions for the NHS.
Dr Layla McCay, of the NHS Confederation, told the BBC: “It’s the leading cause of preventable illness in the UK.
“So, we are heartened to see that progress is being made and that the intention is moving forward to really address one of Britain’s main drivers of health inequalities.”
Yet furious politicians decried the plans as “nanny-statism” and vowed to oppose the plans.
Tory leadership candidate Dame Priti Patel said: “Imposing nanny state regulation like this on pubs and restaurants would not only be wrong but economically damaging.
“These are small businesses, run by hardworking people, that provide jobs up and down the country.”
Fellow contender Robert Jenrick piled in: “The last thing this country needs is thousands more pubs closing.
“Our country faces huge challenges. Why is Starmer focusing on this nonsense?”
Secret Whitehall papers seen by The Sun show ministers plotting to drastically extend the indoor smoking ban to beer gardens and outside football stadiums.
Lighting up will be stubbed out at outdoor restaurants, open-air spaces at clubs, and pavements next to both.
It will also apply outside universities, hospitals, sports grounds, kids’ play areas and small parks.
Ministers could also sting vapers.
And shisha bars are expected to fall foul of the new rules.
But the restrictions will not cover private homes, nor large open spaces such as parks or streets.
Hitting back at the bill, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “It’ll be the end of pubs.”
A recent impact assessment concluded banning outdoor smoking will lead to closures and job losses.
However, the PM has resolved to press ahead with the outdoor ban with the backing of England’s Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty.
Ahead of the inevitable backlash, ministers will argue the economic benefits far outweigh the costs.
They will claim that smoking costs the Treasury £21.8billion in health spending, dwarfing the amount it raises in tax.
Downing Street will also point out that when then-PM Tony Blair’s Labour government introduced the public smoking ban in 2007, it actually did not hurt businesses but helped save lives.
But an outdoor ban will still be viewed as an immensely radical move by Sir Keir just weeks after he won the election.
Critics will point out that such a proposal was not disclosed to voters.
Labour’s manifesto only pledged to honour the Tory plan to continuously raise the smoking age so the next generation can never legally buy cigarettes.
A public consultation will be launched over the outdoor smoking ban, but is unlikely to change the Government’s position.
While ministers are set to continue talks to finalise the policy, the current blueprint is to ban ciggies outside hospitals, schools, college and university campuses, sports grounds and playgrounds.
The distance someone will be allowed to smoke away from one of these locations is yet to be determined.
Especially thorny is the decision to slap pub gardens and restaurant seating areas with the restrictions.
A 2020 government press release made explicitly clear that banning outdoor smoking in bars would be a hammer blow.
It said: “Since the existing ban was introduced, businesses have invested heavily in outdoor areas. Banning outdoor smoking would lead to significant closures and job losses.”
The Whitehall papers make clear that private homes will remain unaffected, as will places where human contact is only temporary, such as big parks and roads.
Grey areas that still appear to be under discussion include beaches and enclosed parks that bunch lots of people into small spaces.
One option is to differentiate between big open spaces and smaller more densely-populated ones.
The plans also mention vape-free areas but it is unclear if the outdoor ban will extend to e-cigs.
Shisha bars are definitely set to suffer, which could spell curtains for the industry.
Like the original Tobacco and Vapes Bill, the outdoor smoking ban will apply to all four countries in the UK.
While dozens of Tory MPs will likely vote against, Sir Keir will almost certainly push it through with his massive majority.
But the PM is hopeful the public will back the measures, with some polling showing large support for smoke-free pub gardens.
Around 6.4million people in the UK — 13 per cent of the population — are believed to be smokers.
Non-users are still harmed by passive smoking.
The NHS warns passive smoking is particularly damaging to children who can develop asthma, chest infections and meningitis.
A target exists to make England “smoke-free” by 2030, meaning only five per cent of the population would smoke by then.
A Department for 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 second-hand smoking. We’re considering a range of measures to finally make Britain smoke-free.”