What we know about Starmer's reported plan to ban smoking in pub gardens
The government “want to make it much more likely” that smokers will want to give up by banning the habit in outdoor public spaces such as pub gardens and outside restaurants, a minister has said.
Leaked documents, revealed by The Sun, suggest the government plans to make it illegal to smoke a cigarette in many public spaces. Currently smoking is banned indoors, but the prime minister reportedly wants to extend it as part of tougher laws around smoking and vaping.
On Thursday Sir Keir Starmer said he is committed to "take decisions in this space", pointing out that smoking kills 80,000 people each year, and adding that “more details will be revealed”.
Speaking to Sky News on Friday, education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith said “what we’re trying to do is, both through lifting the age at which you can start smoking, by providing ways in which you can get out of smoking, and by making fewer places where you actually can smoke, we want to make it much more likely that people who are direct active smokers will actually want to give up smoking and, by doing that, safeguard their own health and safeguard the NHS and the pressures that smoking brings on to it.”
The government confirmed in the King's Speech in July that it would resurrect Rishi Sunak’s proposed smoking ban, with plans seeing anyone born after 2009 prevented from ever legally buying tobacco.
Critics have said banning smoking in outdoor spaces could "damage businesses and economic growth" while advocates have welcomed the prospect of progress on tackling one of the leading causes of preventable illnesses in the UK.
A YouGov poll on Thursday suggested that 58% of British adults support banning smoking in pub gardens and outside restaurants.
Read a full breakdown of the key points or click below to skip to each section
> What we know about the reports
> Poll: Should smoking be banned in some outdoor places?
> How many people smoke in the UK?
> How will the total UK smoking ban work?
What we know
The indoor smoking ban could be extended to cover beer gardens or outside football stadiums, as well as small parks, outdoor restaurants and hospitals.
But the restrictions – part of a tougher tobacco and vapes bill – will apparently not cover private homes, or areas like parks and streets.
On Thursday, Starmer said of the reports: “My starting point on this is to remind everybody that over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking. That is a preventable death, it’s a huge burden on the NHS and, of course, it is a burden on the taxpayer.
“So, yes, we are going to take decisions in this space, more details will be revealed, but this is a preventable series of deaths and we’ve got to take action to reduce the burden on the NHS and the taxpayer.
Health experts welcomed the news. Dr Layla McCay, of the NHS Confederation, said she was “heartened” to see that progress is being made on abolishing smoking.
“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," she added.
However, critics have hit back citing the effect it will have on venues like pubs and restaurants.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade group UKHospitality, said: “This is not without... economic cost to businesses that are providing outside areas for smokers and non-smokers, and also vapers, because I note in some of the reports there’s suggestions that vaping in outside areas could also be restricted."
Nicholls urged the government think any ban through "very carefully before we damage businesses and economic growth and jobs”.
Reem Ibrahim, acting director of communications at the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank, said banning outdoor smoking would be “another nail in the coffin for the pub industry”.
She said: “The Government’s own impact assessment concluded that banning smoking outdoors will lead to pub closures and job losses.
“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.”
Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said the reports “have understandably caused concern across the sector”.
Meanwhile, a social media post by Conservative MP Esther McVey was branded “repugnant” by the Board of Deputies of British Jews for likening the proposed smoking ban to the Holocaust.
What we don't know
The reports have not been confirmed by the government and it is not clear to what extent - if any - they will be followed.
It's not clear how popular such a proposal would be. Following the announcement by former PM Rishi Sunak that his government wanted to bring in a total smoking ban, a poll commissioned by YouGov indicated widespread support, with 71% of people in support of the approach, and just 17% against it.
The policy was most popular with older people, with 75% of pensioners backing it.
However, extending a ban to outdoor spaces may not have the same level of public support.
According to snap YouGov polling carried out on Thursday, 58% of Britons supporting a ban on smoking in pub gardens and outdoor restaurants while 35% of people opposed it.
Should smoking be banned in some outdoor places?
Tell us what you think about the reported proposals in the poll below.
How many people smoke in the UK?
In 2019, under one in six (14.7%) of people in the UK report smoking regularly – the lowest amount ever, according to Statista.
Men are also more likely than women to smoke, with 14% of men and 11% of women smoking cigarettes in 2022.
More than 1.9 million admissions to NHS hospitals in England in the financial year 2019/20 were caused by smoking.
In 2007, under the last Labour government, smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces was made illegal across the UK.
According to health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), in the year following the introduction of smoke-free laws, there was a 2.4% reduction in hospital admissions for heart attacks in England, saving the NHS £8.4 million in the first year alone.
The first year after the introduction of the indoor smoking ban, also saw a 12.3% reduction in hospital admissions for childhood asthma, equivalent to 6,803 fewer admissions over three years.
How will the total UK smoking ban work?
The latest reports come after the government confirmed in the King's Speech in July it would resurrect a plan to gradually implement what effectively would be a total smoking ban in the UK.
Former PM Sunak first announced a smoking crackdown through his flagship Tobacco and Vapes Bill last year.
The bill, dubbed the “greatest piece of public health legislation in a generation”, had earned cross-party support and was progressing through parliament when the general election was called, leaving charities and health experts disappointed. It was then resurrected by Labour after their landslide victory.
The ban would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after 1 January 2009, which basically means future generations will never legally be able to do so.
It would effectively raise the legal age for buying cigarettes in England by one year every year – eventually applying to everybody.
