No10 today defended its smoking clampdown amid a backlash at proposals to ban people from lighting up outside pubs.
Ministers are under fire after plans were leaked last week for a widening of the proposed ban on smoking, which would already increase the age limit for buying tobacco every year.
They face a backlash after it was revealed they are considering stopping people from smoking outside pubs, football stadiums and hospitals.
Industry leaders have warned the proposed ban could add to the challenges facing the hospitality sector. Some estimates suggest one in eight pubs could close as a result.
Asked about the plans today, Sir Keir Starmer‘s official spokesman said 80,000 died every year from smoking-related health problems, which is ‘a huge burden on the NHS and a huge burden on the taxpayer’.
He insisted that a final decision has not yet been taken, but added that Sir Keir was ‘supportive’ of measures to create a ‘smoke-free environment’.
‘With 80,000 people dying a year, with 2.8m people excluded from our workforce due to long-term sickness, tackling the nation’s health is clearly an important part of the government’s agenda to support the economy and drive economic growth,’ the spokesman added.
Ministers are under fire after plans were leaked last week for a widening of the proposed ban on smoking, which would prevent smoking outside pubs.
Asked about the plans today, Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said 80,000 died every year from smoking-related health problems, which is ‘a huge burden on the NHS and a huge burden on the taxpayer’.
It came as a new poll suggested almost two-thirds of Brits believed such a ban extension would increase the risk of pubs closing.
But the Charlesbye Strategy analysis for the Sun also found that there was nevertheless a majority of support for the wider ban.
Ministers have declined to comment in detail on leaked proposals suggesting that a crackdown on outdoor smoking could also be applied to vaping.
But Commons Leader Lucy Powell suggested yesterday that vaping will also face restrictions in time. ‘We also want to tackle the scourge of vaping, which is a real blight for many young people,’ she said.
Former Labour frontbencher Rachael Maskell warned last week that restrictions on vaping were a ‘very obvious’ next step.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UK Hospitality, has warned a ban on smoking in outdoor spaces ‘comes with the prospect of serious economic harm to hospitality venues’.
‘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,’ she said.