Starmer
faces pushback from pubs over ‘bonkers’ outdoor smoking curb plans
Hospitality
industry expresses concern about impact on businesses of leaked proposals not
denied by PM
Peter
Walker, Sarah Butler and Caroline Davies
Thu 29 Aug
2024 19.29 BST
Keir Starmer
is on a collision course with the hospitality industry and political opponents
after signalling plans for major curbs on outdoor smoking.
The
proposals, not denied by the prime minister, would potentially prohibit tobacco
use outside pubs and restaurants, including on pavements. The restrictions
would come on top of existing plans to gradually outlaw smoking year by year.
While the
latter proposal was devised under Rishi Sunak, the Conservatives argued
restrictions on outdoor smoking were about “social control”, with Priti Patel –
among those standing to replace Sunak as Tory leader – calling them “beyond
stupid”.
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The plans
were met with despair by the pub industry, which claimed restrictions on
outdoor smoking could harm a fragile sector still recovering from Covid.
However, health experts backed the idea, while polling showed it had majority
support among every demographic and voting group apart from Reform UK
supporters.
The plan,
first revealed via documents leaked to the Sun, would restrict outdoor smoking
outside pubs and restaurants, as well as clubs, and at universities, children’s
play areas and small parks, and potentially shisha bars. It was unclear whether
this could also cover vaping.
The measures
would be included in an already-announced tobacco and vapes bill, which intends
to gradually make all smoking illegal by prohibiting the sale of tobacco to
people born on or after January 2009. When this was announced in July’s king’s
speech, it did not mention changes to outdoor smoking.
As public
health is devolved, the measures would apply to only England, with the other UK
nations deciding if they wanted to follow suit.
Asked about
the report during a visit to Paris, Starmer did not deny the plans. “My
starting point on this is to remind everybody that over 80,000 people lose
their lives every year because of smoking,” he said.
“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.”
While the
precise curbs are likely to change after consultation, it is understood
ministers are in favour of many of the suggested ideas.
The
hospitality industry figures, and pub owners in particular, said they were
concerned the measures could prompt renewed uncertainty, even with official
statistics showing only about one in 10 British adults still smoke.
Kate
Nicholls, the chief executive of UKHospitality, which represents thousands of
pubs, restaurants and cafes, said a ban raised the prospect of “serious
economic harm” to 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,” she said.
Nicholls
called on the government to hold a “detailed conversation” with affected
parties on the potential impact of such a ban before any legislation was put in
place.
William
Lees-Jones, the head of JW Lees Brewery, which owns and operates 150 pubs, inns
and hotels mainly in north-west England and north Wales, said the idea was a
“bolt from the blue” that had not been discussed with industry. He said it
would be “really bad for business” and could “shut a lot of pubs”.
“People who
smoke are pretty determined and will walk 10 yards down the road and smoke
there, which will annoy other people,” he said.
Clive
Watson, the chair of the Inda Pubs group, called it “a bonkers idea”, adding:
“Surely, after all the pub industry has been through, we should be allowed a
period of stability?”
Tim Martin,
the chair of JD Wetherspoon, said he did not think a ban would have a “big
effect” on business, but added: “The question is whether the government should
interfere in individual liberties, where danger is involved.”
Dr Layla
McCay, the director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said she was
“heartened” to see progress being made on abolishing smoking. She told BBC
Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is absolutely the health challenge of our time.
It’s the leading cause of preventable illness in the UK, so we are heartened to
see that progress is being made and that the intention is moving forward to
really address one of Britain’s main drivers of health inequalities.”
While a
majority of Conservative MPs voted for Sunak’s gradual smoking ban in April, a
number opposed the plan. Patel, the former home secretary, argued on Wednesday
that the outdoor smoking curbs would harm businesses and potentially endanger
public safety if police resources were used to enforce it.
Robert
Jenrick, also standing to be Tory leader, tweeted of Starmer: “This man does
not understand our country.”
The Liberal
Democrats said the plans must be balanced against any potential impact on
hospitality venues.
YouGov
polling carried out on Thursday showed the public tended to support the plan,
with 58% of people saying they backed the idea, against 35% who did not. The
figures were virtually identical for Conservative voters.
A
spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care 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 secondhand smoking. We’re considering a range of
measures to finally make Britain smoke-free.”
After
smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces was barred in 2007, according
to the charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), in the year after there were
12,000 fewer overall admissions to hospitals in England, including a 12.3% drop
in hospital admissions for childhood asthma.
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