Activists vow to fight outdoor smoking ban – Tobacco Reporter

A leaked plan to dramatically extend Britain's smoking ban to outdoor areas has sparked outrage among activists and some politicians.

Accordingly The sunMinisters have drawn up plans to make beer gardens, outdoor restaurants and other open-air areas smoke-free. The proposed restrictions do not apply to private homes or large open spaces such as parks or streets.

Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's Reform Party, said: “This will be the end of pubs.”

“Imposing such nanny state regulations on pubs and restaurants would not only be wrong but economically damaging,” said former Home Secretary Priti Patel.

“These are small businesses run by hard-working people that create jobs across the country.”

Simon Clark, director of smokers' rights group Forest, vowed to fight any attempt to extend the smoking ban to outdoor areas.

“Smoking bans must be based on evidence and there is no evidence that smoking outdoors poses a significant risk to the health of non-smokers,” he said.

“The ban on smoking indoors has caused enormous damage to the pub industry. Extending the ban to beer gardens could result in many more pubs having to close.”

Clark accused the ruling Labour Party of using “bully state” tactics to force adults to quit smoking, saying: “If it is true that the Government wants to extend the smoking ban to a range of outdoor areas, Britain will no longer be a nanny state.”

“We would have crossed a line and become a tyrannical state in which people would be punished for the terrible crime of lighting a cigarette outside a bar or in a park.”