The UK government, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, is considering stricter anti-smoking measures, including a ban on smoking in outdoor areas such as pub gardens, restaurant patios, and other public spaces.
This potential move, confirmed by Starmer on Thursday, has sparked widespread debate, particularly in the hospitality industry.
The discussion follows a report by The Sun that the government is considering expanding the current indoor smoking ban, which has been in place since 2007, to certain outdoor areas. These could include areas outside of hospitals, universities, and sports arenas. The goal is to address the ongoing public health challenge posed by smoking-related illnesses, which currently cost the NHS more than £2.5 billion annually in England.
Prime Minister Starmer, while speaking in Paris, emphasized the need to take decisive action to reduce preventable deaths linked to smoking, which claims over 80,000 lives each year in the UK. He stated that the government is determined to alleviate the burden on the NHS and taxpayers by introducing new regulations, with further details to be disclosed in due course.
Health professionals and organizations, including the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), have overwhelmingly backed the proposed measures. They argue that expanding smoke-free laws to include outdoor areas would be a good step toward reducing public exposure to harmful tobacco smoke. However, ASH has stressed the importance of keeping designated outdoor smoking areas open to prevent smokers from being confined to their homes.
In contrast, the hospitality industry has voiced strong opposition to the potential ban. Many pub and restaurant owners fear that such regulations could negatively impact their businesses, particularly as they continue to recover from the financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising operational costs due to the ongoing energy crisis. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and other trade groups have warned that the proposed ban could exacerbate the already high rate of pub closures, with an average of 80 pubs shutting down each month in early 2024.
Critics of the ban argue that it is an overreach of government authority and may result in unintended consequences, such as encouraging more people to smoke at home or on public streets. They also question the practicality of enforcing such a ban in outdoor settings.
The government’s contemplation of this new policy comes alongside its plan to reintroduce legislation that would gradually raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco, effectively phasing out smoking for future generations. While the health benefits of reducing smoking are widely acknowledged, the debate over how to achieve these goals without harming businesses and infringing on personal freedoms continues to intensify.
With input from BBC, the Guardian and the Associated Press.
