Prime minister Keir Starmer has not ruled out a possible ban on smoking in pub gardens and other outdoor areas after reports emerged tougher rules on Thursday.
When asked in Paris about the move, reported in The Sun, he said: “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.
“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.”
“Secret Whitehall papers,” cited by The Sun, showed ministers were considering banning smoking at the likes of outdoor restaurants, sports venues, nightclubs and small parks.
This would come after Labour laid out plans to resurrect a smoking ban proposed by Rishi Sunak’s former government, which would see the legal smoking age gradually increase.
“We are determined to protect children and non-smokers from the harms of second-hand smoking,” a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said.
“We're considering a range of measures to finally make Britain smoke-free.”
The measures would form a tougher version of Sunak’s tobacco and vapes bill, which had planned to prohibit tobacco sales to those born after January 2009.
Vape users and shisha bars could also reportedly be targeted under the move, though planned restrictions are not said to stretch to private homes or large open spaces.
Panmure Liberum analysts noted the move would come as some £2 billion is spent by the NHS annually on treating smokers, while £18 billion is lost in productivity due to people nipping out of work for cigarettes.
However, the move could hit pubs, the analysts warned.
“The pub industry spent considerable sums in accommodating smokers in pub gardens and any outside space which could be found, and since that time any suggestion [...] that there should be further restrictions on smokers in pubs has been stopped by the very real prospect of further pub closures,” they said.
“Not all pub goers are smokers, but disproportionately they will be.”