As the rumour gathered momentum in less than 24 hours in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, present in Paris on Thursday 29 August, did not rule out that the British government was considering extending the ban on smoking in certain outdoor spaces, including the terraces of pubs and restaurants.
“My starting point is to remind everyone that more than 80,000 people lose their lives every year due to smoking” in the United Kingdom, he said while being questioned by journalists at the Elysée Palace. “These are preventable deaths, a huge burden on the NHS [National Health Service – service public britannique de la santé] and, of course, a burden on the taxpayer. So yes, we will make decisions in this area. “he continued, adding that more details will be revealed later.
This confirmation follows the publication of an article by the conservative tabloid on Wednesday evening. the sun, where it states that the government is considering “radically expand the smoking ban” to outdoor pub and restaurant terraces, according to a leak of documents he consulted. This ban would also apply outside nightclubs, football stadiums, on sidewalks near universities and hospitals, and in certain parks.
“It would be the end of advertising,” criticises Nigel Farage
This revelation sparked an outcry of political reactions in the media. The project was welcomed by health professionals, but strongly criticised by pubs, sectors that have been in great difficulty in recent years, as well as by figures from the Conservative Party.
Brexit campaign leader Nigel Farage, an MP during the last election, immediately criticised any extension of the smoking ban to outdoor spaces, declared in Sun : “ “It would be the end of advertising.”
“I will never go to the pub again if smoking is banned outside. The Puritans are on the move”He declared in a column in the Telegraph. Robert Jenrick, candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party, also denounced these possible measures to the tabloid, considering that “The last thing this country needs is for thousands of pubs to close.”
“ In considering the implications of these potential restrictions, we must ask whether such an approach is truly in the public interest or whether it risks leading to over-regulation at the expense of individual freedom and business viability.Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, also called on the government to “reconsider” their plans: “Such restrictions would have a devastating impact on pubs already struggling with rising energy prices and the sky-high cost of doing business.”.
The Smoking Bill being worked on by Keir Starmer’s government was initially designed to implement the one launched by his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak, aimed at gradually banning all forms of smoking. But such outdoor restriction measures had not previously been publicly announced by the Labour Party, either during the legislative campaign or since coming to power.
Considerable expenditure on the NSH
Under the plan, which was not passed into law due to the early election, the legal age at which Britons can buy cigarettes will be raised by one year each year until the sale of tobacco is illegal for the entire population. However, the planned measures regarding the ban on smoking outdoors have not been mentioned so far by Labour, either during the campaign or since it came to power in July.
The number of smokers in the UK has fallen by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4 million people in the country (or around 13% of the population) still smoke, according to official figures. In 2007, the legal age for tobacco sales was raised from 16 to 18, along with a ban on smoking inside buildings. However, smoking-related illnesses place a heavy burden on the National Health Service, costing more than £2.5 billion a year in England alone.
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Asked whether such restrictive measures would break the promise he made after the elections in “internal management” lives of voters, Mr Starmer said from Paris that it was important “ finding the right balance. “But anyone who looks at who uses the NHS knows it is on its knees. We need to ease the burden and that is why I spoke before the election about moving to a preventative model in healthcare.”he pleaded.
