Labour has reportedly U-turned on a proposed ban on smoking in pub gardens, as Sir Keir Starmer worries that the move could be a death sentence for businesses.
Instead, cigarettes will only be prohibited outside of hospitals and schools, with pub gardens, outside stadiums and outdoor restaurants being spared from the ban.
Starmer had previously defended the move, claiming that banning smoking in outdoor areas will “reduce the burden” on the NHS and taxpayers.
However, following a furious backlash from Britons, the proposed ban is set to be dropped, The Sun has revealed.
Labour ‘U-turns on pub garden smoking ban’ as Starmer fears move would be death sentence for businesses
PA
A recent impact assessment found that banning smoking outdoors could cost jobs and force even more pubs to close, the publication reports.
Reacting to the proposed ban on GB News in August, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticised the proposals and claimed it will spell the “end of British pubs” as we know them.
“I will probably never go to a pub again,” he told the People’s Channel.
Wes Steeting, the Health Secretary, has called for a “national debate” on prohibiting smoking.
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.”
It comes after top doctors have called for legislation aimed at tackling youth vaping to include a total ban on disposable e-cigarettes and all flavours apart from tobacco.
The British Medical Association (BMA) urged ministers to “take bold and brave actions” to protect the health of children and young people amid a “vaping epidemic”.
A target exists to make England “smoke-free” by 2030, meaning only five per cent of the population would smoke by then.
Chris Whitty has repeatedly criticised the “utterly unacceptable” practice of marketing vapes to children, accusing companies of behaving in a “shameful way”.
Writing in The Times, he said vaping was “not risk free”.
He wrote: “If you smoke, vaping is much safer – if you don’t smoke, don’t vape.”
