This short report was first published as a lead story for our Nouseletter.
Is the new Labour government plan to reduce preventable deaths associated with smoking a good idea?
Sir Keir starmer has angered pubs around England by disclosing that the government is looking to implement stricter rules around smoking in public places. The Labour Party is drawing up plans to enforce a smoking ban in spaces such as pub gardens, outdoor restaurants, and outside hospitals, clubs, sports venues, children’s play areas and small parks, and potentially shisha bars.
The measures would be included in an already-announced Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to prohibit sales to all those born on or after January 2009 - this is to create a country where smoking gradually becomes illegal, much like what New Zealand are doing.
Outdoor smoking bans appear to pose a risk to the hospitality industry, with pub owners particularly worried about the financial implications this could cause on an already unreliable sector. Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UKHospitality has stated, “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.”
However, York MP Rachael Maskell told the YorkMix, “The arguments that this is going to be so damaging for the hospitality sector were run out in 2007 when the ban on indoor places to smoke was run and that wasn’t realised.”
We asked the followers of @yorknouse Instagram, who are primarily students, “Do you support the smoking ban?” and “What are your thoughts on it?”. 50% voted “No”, 47% voted “Yes” and 4% voted “Other”.
One respondent said, “I get this will be annoying for smokers but most people don’t smoke now and [smoking] is annoying for them.”
Another respondent wrote, “Surely there’s some more pressing issues the government should be addressing.”
Starmer responded to general concerns about the new plans: “My starting point on this is to remind everybody that over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking,”
“That is a preventable death, it’s a huge burden on the NHS, and, of course, it is a burden on the taxpayer.”
These measures would only apply to England, and other UK nations can decide if they want to follow suit.
