Starmer plans outdoor smoking ban for pub gardens and sports venues

Ministers are considering a ban on outdoor smoking as part of a way to end the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products for future generations, Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed.

The ban would also extend to small parks, outside nightclubs and sports venues according to “secret Whitehall papers”.

This morning, the prime minister confirmed with journalists in Paris that he is looking at changes to smoking laws.

He said: “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.”

Papers seen by The Sun, suggest that Sir Keir Starmer’s government is considering a ban in specific outdoor areas such as pub gardens and outside hositpals as an extension of proposed legislation first introduced by Rishi Sunak’s Tory government.

A Department of 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 the harms of second-hand smoking.

“We’re considering a range of measures to finally make Britain smoke-free.”

But it is understood that the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has raised concerns of the impact on the hospitality sector particularly pubs which are already struggling to remain open.

The plans are part of an attempt by the Labour government to resurrect Mr Sunak’s ban for future generations from smoking.

Mr Sunak introduced a bill was shelved as a result of the election but Sir Keir put it back in his first King’s speech after winning power.

It will mean that each year MPs will vote to raise the age where people are allowed to smoke by a year to ensure that the habit will be prohibitted for people who are currently 14 and under for the rest of their lives.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, warned: “A ban on smoking in outdoor spaces comes with the prospect of serious economic harm to hospitality venues. 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.

“This ban would not only affect pubs and nightclubs, but hotels, cafes and restaurants that have all invested significantly in good faith in outdoor spaces and continue to face financial challenges.

“The government must embark on a full and detailed conversation with affected parties on the impact of such a ban before any legislation is laid. It must also assess whether such a ban would achieve its aims of meaningfully reducing smoking or simply relocate smoking elsewhere, such as in the home.”

However, health professionals have welcomed the proposals.

Dr Layla McCay of the NHS Confederation told the Today programme she was “heartened” that progress was being made to abolish smoking.

She said: “Ultimately, all of these steps are steps in the same journey, which is towards a smoke-free future for Britain, reducing those health inequalities, reducing the huge problems that are caused to the individual and to society from smoking.”

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said the government was “catching up with what the public expects, and that’s not to have to breathe in tobacco smoke in places like children’s play areas and seating areas outside pubs, restaurants and cafes”.