Smoke-Free Future: Lucy Powell Advocates for Outdoor Smoking Ban, Asserting Economic and Health Benefits, Not Hospitality Harm

Lucy Powell, the leader in the Commons for the Labour Party, maintains that prohibiting smoking in outdoor areas of pubs is not intended to harm the hospitality sector. She argues that a nationwide smoking ban could positively impact both the economy and healthcare services.

Political journalist @fayebrownSky

Sunday, September 1, 2024, 11:

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A cabinet minister has firmly stated that the government's proposed regulations to prohibit smoking in pub gardens are not intended as an assault on the hospitality sector.

Lucy Powell spoke to Sky News on "Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips," where she expressed Labour's goal of establishing a "smoke-free country." She emphasized that any actions taken towards this aim would be in collaboration with the businesses that might be impacted.

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The incoming administration had committed to reviving Rishi Sunak's key tobacco legislation, which aimed to prohibit the sale of cigarettes to anyone currently 14 years old or younger, indefinitely. However, this proposal was put on hold prior to the election.

This week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer indicated that his efforts could extend to prohibiting smoking at outdoor venues as well, aiming to decrease the instances of preventable deaths associated with tobacco consumption.

When questioned about concerns that this decision might harm businesses, Ms. Powell responded, "We are definitely not targeting the hospitality sector. We back the hospitality industry fully because it is crucial for our communities, our main streets, and our economy."

"I won't speculate on the specifics of upcoming legislation, but I will note that any steps taken to broaden regulations concerning smoking will be carried out with thorough input from those in the hospitality sector."

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She also mentioned that there has been a long-standing agreement on the goal of achieving a smoke-free nation, emphasizing that the potential health and economic advantages would be significant.

Annually, smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths and is estimated to burden the NHS in England with costs of around £2.6 billion.

Health advocates have praised the new proposals, but hospitality industry executives caution that these measures might further burden businesses already struggling from the pandemic's impact and the rising cost of living.

Sir Keir mentioned that the prohibition might cover beer gardens, al fresco dining areas, external sports facilities, medical centers, nightclubs, and certain compact green spaces.

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Kate Nicholls, the head of UKHospitality, warned that this poses a significant economic threat to hospitality venues which have heavily invested in outdoor areas in good faith, and are still experiencing financial difficulties.

Michael Kill, the chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, commented, "This poses an essential question: Are we on the verge of turning into a nanny state? What will follow?"

"Although these actions are likely motivated by concerns for public health, they may cause division among people and add an additional regulatory load on companies that are already dealing with significant difficulties."

Several Conservative MPs have voiced their opposition to the initiative, although they have suggested their own measures to reduce smoking among the youth. Shadow Health Secretary Victoria Atkins shared on X, "Our goal is to shield our kids from starting to smoke and use e-cigarettes. Our legislation for a smoke-free generation was crafted with this purpose in mind."

"However, prohibiting outdoor smoking among adults wasn't included in our agenda. Labour's actions threaten to jeopardize our hospitality industry."

Reform leader Nigel Farage informed a newspaper that he would "forever avoid pubs if they prohibited smoking outdoors."

In 2007, the previous Labour administration implemented a prohibition on smoking within pubs and other indoor public areas.

According to Action on Smoking Health (ASH), there was a decrease of 2.4% in hospital admissions for heart attacks and a 12.3% drop in hospital admissions for childhood asthma over the course of a year.

ASH has expressed support for the government's initiatives, emphasizing that it's crucial for smokers to have designated outdoor areas to avoid the likelihood of them smoking inside.

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