The UK government is considering restricting smoking in some outdoor public areas to help cut deaths from tobacco use and reduce the burden on the NHS.
The plans are not concrete, however measures could involve banning smoking in pub gardens, outdoor restaurants, and hospital grounds. Any new ban would apply only in England, but the other devolved nations could follow suit.
When asked about media reports on the suggested ban the prime minister, Keir Starmer, confirmed that the government was considering it. He told the BBC on 29 August, “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.”
The prime minister added: “It is important to get the balance right, but everybody … who uses the NHS will know that it’s on its knees.”
While precise plans for the curbs are likely to change after consultations, it is understood that ministers are in favour of many of the suggested ideas to limit outdoor smoking.
The King’s Speech at the state opening of Parliament last month promised to reintroduce legislation proposed by the previous government, which would have outlawed the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 2009.
In Australia, smoking outdoors is already regulated, where bans at many outdoor spaces have been in place for two decades. Rules vary from state to state but, broadly speaking, at pub gardens and parks, designated smoking sections or zones are set up to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke. At beaches and playgrounds, smoking is banned altogether.
