SMOKING will be banned in pub gardens, leaked government plans reveal.
Sir Keir Starmer will spark huge controversy and claims of nannying when the plans are unveiled as part of tougher tobacco and cigarette legislation.
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Smoking will be banned in pub gardens, leaked government plans revealCredit: Getty
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List of places where smoking may be prohibited
Secret Whitehall documents seen by The Sun show ministers planning to drastically extend the indoor smoking ban to pubs and outside football stadiums.
The lights will be turned off in outdoor restaurants, open spaces in clubs and sidewalks next to both.
It will also be applied outside universities, hospitals, sports fields, children’s playgrounds and small parks.
Ministers could also stab vapers.
Shisha bars are expected to flout the new rules.
But the restrictions will not cover private homes, nor large open spaces such as parks or streets.
Hitting back at the bill, UK Reform leader Nigel Farage said: “It will be the end of the pubs.”
Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick said: The last thing this country needs is thousands of pubs closing.
“Our country is facing huge challenges. Why is Starmer focusing on this nonsense?”
Priti Patel said: “Imposing this kind of government regulation of babysitters on pubs and restaurants would not only be wrong, it would be economically damaging.
“These are small businesses, run by hard-working people, that provide jobs across the country.
“Labour are bereft of ideas and have no economic plan and are now reduced to nanny state policies to appease their socialist base and take away the freedoms and choices of the British people.
“To ask the police to enforce this at a time when Starmer is letting dangerous criminals onto our streets is beyond stupid, it borders on negligence.
“This needs to be turned around now before it threatens both our retail sector and the safety of our streets.”
The bill was initially designed to implement Rishi Sunak’s plan to phase out smoking – but it made no mention of an outdoor ban when it was introduced in the King’s Speech six weeks ago.
Ministers and officials have since been working to tighten the proposals following fears that too many Britons are suffering from second-hand smoke.
The move has caused tensions in the cabinet, with memos showing the business department fears the financial cost of hospitality.
Many landlords were forced to close after the pandemic due to rising costs and taxes.
Smoking, vaping and energy drinks are all targeted by the major health-reducing measures described in King’s speech
A recent impact assessment concluded that banning outdoor smoking will lead to closures and job losses.
However, the prime minister decided to continue with the ban on outdoor spaces with the support of England’s chief physician, prof. Chris Whitty.
Before the inevitable backlash, ministers will argue that the economic benefits far outweigh the costs.
It will claim that smoking costs the Exchequer £21.8 billion in health expenditure, which is significantly less than the amount of tax.
Downing Street will also point out that when then Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labor government introduced a ban on smoking in public places in 2007, it didn’t actually hurt businesses but helped save lives.
But the outdoor ban will still be seen as an extremely radical move by Sir Keir just weeks after he won the election.
Critics will point out that voters are not familiar with such a proposal.
Labour’s manifesto only promised to honor the Tory plan to keep raising the smoking age so the next generation could never legally buy cigarettes.
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The ban will cover children’s playgroundsCredit: Alamy
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Hookah lounges are expected to fall foul of the new rulesCredit: Alamy
A public debate on the ban on outdoor smoking will be launched, but it is unlikely to change the Government’s position.
Although ministers are ready to continue talks on finalizing the policy, the current plan is to ban smoking outside hospitals, schools, college and university campuses, sports fields and playgrounds.
The distance at which someone will be allowed to smoke from one of these locations is still being determined.
The decision to impose restrictions on pub gardens and restaurant seating areas is particularly problematic.
The government’s 2020 press release made it abundantly clear that a ban on outdoor smoking in bars would be a real blow.
It said: “Since the current ban was introduced, companies have invested heavily in outdoor areas. A ban on outdoor smoking would lead to significant closures and job losses.”
Whitehall documents make clear that private homes will remain unaffected, as will places where human contact is only temporary, such as large parks and roads.
Gray areas that are still being debated include beaches and indoor parks that pack a lot of people into small spaces.
One possibility is to distinguish large open spaces from smaller, more densely populated ones.
The plans also mention cigarette-free areas, but it is unclear whether the outdoor ban will extend to e-cigarettes.
Shisha bars will definitely suffer, which could mean curtains for the industry.
Like the original Tobacco and Vapes Act, the outdoor smoking ban will apply to all four counties in the UK.
While dozens of Tory MPs are likely to vote against it, Sir Keir will almost certainly push it through with his huge majority.
But the Prime Minister hopes the public will support the measures, with some polls showing strong support for smoke-free pub gardens.
Around 6.4 million people in the UK – 13 per cent of the population – are believed to be smokers.
Non-users are still harmed by passive smoking.
The NHS warns that second-hand smoke is particularly harmful to children who can develop asthma, chest infections and meningitis.
There is a goal for England to become “smoke-free” by 2030, meaning that by then only five percent of the population will smoke.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We do not comment on leaks.
Smoking claims 80,000 lives a year, puts a huge strain on our NHS and costs taxpayers billions.
“We are determined to protect children and non-smokers from passive smoking. We are considering a range of measures to finally make Britain smoke-free.”
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Around 6.4 million people in the UK smoke Credit: Alamy
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The ban has the support of the chief medical officer of England, prof. Chris Whitty. Credits: PA
THE RIGHT TO BAN CIGARETTES OUTSIDE?
THAT
Says Lizzie Parry, Head of Health
SMOKING kills more people than obesity, alcohol, drugs and lack of exercise combined.
Most deaths are due to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease.
But it is also linked to cancer of the lip, mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, stomach and liver.
And it’s not just your health that’s affected.
Inhaling secondhand smoke is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, lung and breast cancer, stroke, dementia and asthma in non-smokers.
Anything that helps create a world that protects children and young people from the harm of smoking is incomprehensible to me.
I’m old enough to remember nights out before the smoking ban, when it was normal to come home reeking of smoke and clothes ruined by fags.
Maybe ten years from now, the idea of smoking in public will be just that — a horrible memory.
Younger generations will thank us.
NOT
Says Shaun Custis, Sports Director
I NEED a fag just to calm down after the latest crackdown by government goons — and I haven’t had one in a month.
I’m one of those occasional smokers who likes to have a cigarette in the pub courtyard on a Friday night after a few pints, but otherwise rarely gets approached.
Yeah, I know no fag is better, but give me a break.
At least it’s not a double cheeseburger with fries, which is no doubt next on the list of the health police.
The argument is that banning smoking in pubs did not kill the trade.
But being able to jump out and retreat saved the day.
Now, if you can’t even do that, it’s time to stay home, invite your friends over, and hit the patio – until they quit smoking on your own land.
And since drinking is also bad for you, we are not far from banning alcohol in pubs as well, in this world of complete madness.
That’s insane. Does anyone have a lighter?
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education