Labour backlash over Starmer smoking ban
Sir Keir Starmer is facing a Labour backlash over plans to outlaw smoking in pub beer gardens amid warnings that it will force more pubs to close.
The Prime Minister has confirmed that he is looking at extending the smoking ban to outdoor areas, which would also include sports stadiums and parks.
His proposals to extend the ban to beer gardens have been described by one of his own MPs as an “attack [on] working-class culture”.
Business leaders also hit out at the “nuts” move, while ministers privately questioned whether Sue Gray was behind the “mad” decision. Downing Street strongly denied suggestions that Ms Gray, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, was behind the plans, describing the claim as “ridiculous”.
Sir Keir defended the plans on Thursday, saying they would “reduce the burden on the NHS and reduce the burden on the taxpayer”.
Speaking during a visit to Paris, he said: “My starting point on this is to remind everyone that over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking. That’s a preventable death. It’s a huge burden on the NHS and, of course, it’s a burden on the taxpayer. So we are going to take decisions in this space.”
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The proposals prompted warnings that as many as one in eight pubs could be forced to close as smokers opt to stay at home. Industry groups said many were already teetering on the edge after the Covid lockdowns and the cost of living crisis.
Emma McClarkin, the head of the British Beer and Pub Association, called the plans “a misguided restriction on pubs as social spaces”, adding: “It is deeply concerning and difficult to understand why Government would bring forward proposals that will be yet another blow to the viability of our nation’s vital community assets.”
Pub numbers are in steady decline, having fallen from 60,800 in 2000 to 45,350 last year. British Beer and Pub Association figures show that 503 pubs closed in 2023 and more than 3,000 have shut since 2017.
Clive Watson, who ran The City Pub Group until its £162 million sale to Young’s earlier this year, said the ban would be “a step too far”.
“It’s just another example of the big state. The damage to the industry will outweigh the benefits to the health service,” he warned. “It will drive sales away from the pubs, into the park, smoking at home, drinking at home. The benefits of it are not that tangible.”
Tory analysis found that up to one in eight pubs could be forced to close if the new smoking ban had the same impact as the original one. When the ban on indoor smoking was introduced by Sir Tony Blair in 2007, the rate of pub closures doubled from 0.65pc a year to 1.32pc.
If the same increase were to happen, the new closure rate would be 2.68pc, the analysis found, calling time on 5,754 pubs. Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow business secretary, said Labour’s “shocking” plans would see “many more pubs close their doors for the last time”.
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Shisha, flavoured tobacco smoked through pipes, would also be covered by the ban, but vapes may not be, The Telegraph understands.
The proposals have sparked dismay within the Labour Party, with MPs fearing that they would result in a voter backlash. The Telegraph understands several ministers are among those to have privately expressed concerns about the plans, which were not in Labour’s manifesto.
One Labour MP described the move to ban outdoor smoking as “another step by the smart alec middle designed to attack working-class culture”, adding: “I don’t mind a wholesale, universal move against the sale of tobacco – but why deliberately hit pubs and clubs?”
A second backbencher said the policy was a “gift to Reform” because it would allow Nigel Farage to attack No 10 as out of touch with voters.
“It’s problematic and the issue is it’s not in the manifesto,” said the MP. “Strategically it looks like an odd choice for a fight. People have forgotten that the biggest rebellion under the last government was actually a smoking ban, and that was in the manifesto.”
Prof Karol Sikora, a leading cancer expert, said ministers should “treat people like adults”. He added: “If we’re allowing the Government to take these decisions in order to ‘improve’ the health of the nation, why not ban alcohol in pubs too?
“Will we soon see pork scratchings being smuggled around on the black market? Let’s show some sense, and let’s treat people like adults.”
The policy has also put the Prime Minister on a warpath with regional mayors, including Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham. Sacha Lord, Mr Burnham’s night-time adviser, said: “Beer gardens etc are often hubs of the communities they serve. If a blanket ban is confirmed, we will be asking questions.”
Tim Martin, founder of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain, said: “The question is whether the Government should interfere in individual liberties where danger is involved. Mountaineering is dangerous, for example. Horse-riding, statistically, causes many serious injuries.
“I don’t think it will have a big effect on our business, one way or the other, and is really a libertarian issue.”
Reem Ibrahim, the acting director of communications at the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank, said the Government’s own impact assessment had concluded that banning smoking outdoors would lead to pub closures and job losses.
She said: “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.”
There are also questions about who would enforce the ban, with Labour MPs expressing doubt that it would be a good use of over-stretched police resources.
People caught flouting the new rules could face on-the-spot fines of up to £100 if ministers mirror policies already in force in Scotland and Wales.
Anyone found smoking within 15 metres of an NHS hospital building in Scotland can be fined £50, rising to £1,000 if they are prosecuted. It was also made illegal to smoke outside hospitals, schools, and on playgrounds in Wales earlier this year, with £100 fines in force.
