The UK government is reportedly considering plans to introduce a ban on smoking in outdoor areas at nightclubs, pubs, restaurants and other public spaces.
According to leaked documents seen by The Sun, a proposed bill would also impose additional restrictions on smoking on pavements close to clubs, pubs, restaurants, football stadiums and more. It’s part of a plan by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government to cut the uptake of smoking and vaping among young people in the UK, with a wider bill set to push forward with introducing measures that would prohibit the sale of tobacco and vapes to anyone born on or after January 2009.
When drawn by journalists on the reports during a visit to Paris this week, Starmer did not deny the plans to curb outdoor smoking, and pointed reporters to a figure of 80,000 people who lose their lives to smoking each year. “That’s a preventable death,” he said. “It’s a huge burden on the NHS, and, of course, it’s a burden on the taxpayer.”
Minister within Starmer’s Labour cabinet are believed to be broadly in favour of the plans, which were first floated by the previous Conservative government led by Rishi Sunak. Many figures in the hospitality industry, however, have suggested that such measures could have an adverse affect on the sector, and lead to increased economic problems.
“This needs to be thought through very carefully before we damage businesses and economic growth and jobs,” Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said. “You only have to look back to the significant pub closures we saw after the indoor smoking ban to see the potential impact it could have.”
The bill is first expected to go through a number of rounds of consultation before being brought before Parliament in the UK, so it’s not yet known what exact measures will be put on the table and when.
