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Hospitality and health leaders clash on outdoor smoking plan
On Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the government was looking at tougher outdoor smoking rules to help reduce the number of preventable deaths linked to tobacco use, and the burden on the NHS.
The details remain unclear, but if it goes ahead smoking could be banned in pub gardens, outdoor restaurants and outside hospital and sports grounds.
Hospitality sector leaders criticising plans have been joined by opposition politicians, who have described the proposals as over-regulation.
Any new ban would apply only to England. It is not yet clear if it would apply to the rest of the UK, though devolved governments could choose to bring in similar rules.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the charity Action on Smoking and Health, said the public expected "not to have to breathe in tobacco smoke in places like children's play areas and seating areas outside pubs, restaurants and cafés".
However, Ms Arnott said it was important smokers still had access to some outdoor areas to "smoke in the open air, rather than inside their homes".
The prime minister's plans follow the previous government's proposal to outlaw the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 2009.
The King's Speech at the state opening of Parliament last month promised to reintroduce this legislation.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sir Keir said that "preventable" smoking deaths put a "huge burden" on the NHS and taxpayers.
He said the government was "going to take decisions in this space" and more details would be revealed.
Richard Lawrence, a pub-goer in his 30s, is in favour of the plan and he does not understand why it is being perceived in a negative light.
Mr Lawrence told the BBC: “I would be more likely to go to a pub if the ban was in place, I'd certainly enjoy the experience of a lovely beer garden and enjoy my food and drink without the worry of the disgusting smell of smokers and blowing their smoke at me."
Tobacco use is the UK's single biggest preventable cause of death, killing two-thirds of long-term users and causing 80,000 deaths every year.
Selva Venugopalan, 45, has a three-year-old boy and his wife, Geraldine, is pregnant with their second child.
He told the BBC the proposals were "a no-brainer".
"I don't want to smoke second-hand. I definitely don't want my children to smoke second-hand at a tender age."
In its guidance about passive or second-hand smoke, Cancer Research UK says all forms of exposure to smoking are "unsafe", while the NHS says second-hand smoke is "a lethal cocktail of more than 4,000 irritants, toxins and cancer-causing substances".
Source: BBC News, 29 August 2024
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Labour backlash over Starmer smoking ban
Business leaders hit out at the “nuts” move, while ministers privately questioned whether Sue Gray was behind the “mad” decision. Downing Street strongly denied suggestions that Ms Gray, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, was behind the plans, describing the claim as “ridiculous”.
Emma McClarkin, the head of the British Beer and Pub Association, called the plans “a misguided restriction on pubs as social spaces”, adding: “It is deeply concerning and difficult to understand why Government would bring forward proposals that will be yet another blow to the viability of our nation’s vital community assets.”
Tory analysis found that up to one in eight pubs could be forced to close if the new smoking ban had the same impact as the original one. When the ban on indoor smoking was introduced by Sir Tony Blair in 2007, the rate of pub closures doubled from 0.65pc a year to 1.32pc.
If the same increase were to happen, the new closure rate would be 2.68pc, the analysis found, calling time on 5,754 pubs. Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow business secretary, said Labour’s “shocking” plans would see “many more pubs close their doors for the last time”.
The proposals have sparked dismay within the Labour Party, with MPs fearing that they would result in a voter backlash. The Telegraph understands several ministers are among those to have privately expressed concerns about the plans, which were not in Labour’s manifesto.
The policy has also put the Prime Minister on a warpath with regional mayors, including Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham. Sacha Lord, Mr Burnham’s night-time adviser, said: “Beer gardens etc are often hubs of the communities they serve. If a blanket ban is confirmed, we will be asking questions.”
Tim Martin, founder of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain, said: “The question is whether the Government should interfere in individual liberties where danger is involved.
Mountaineering is dangerous, for example. Horse-riding, statistically, causes many serious injuries.
“I don’t think it will have a big effect on our business, one way or the other, and is really a libertarian issue.”
There are also questions about who would enforce the ban, with Labour MPs expressing doubt that it would be a good use of over-stretched police resources.
Source: The Telegraph, 29 August 2024
See also: The Guardian - Starmer faces pushback from pubs over ‘bonkers’ outdoor smoking curb plans
Editorial Note: The Tory analysis cited in the article which found "up to one in eight pubs could be forced to close if the new smoking ban had the same impact as the original one" is based on faulty analysis of the impact of smokefree legislation in 2007. Mark Easton, BBC home editor analysed similar claims made by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) back in 2009 and found that the number of premises with licenses to sell alcohol actually increased by 4,200 following smokefree legislation. This reflected a shift in the pub industry as the number of drink-only pubs declined and the number of pubs serving food increased. Easton also cited survey findings from the ONS showing that pubs were more popular following the ban than before the ban. See the full analysis here: Pubs aren't dying - they are evolving.
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Three pubs a week will close in killer blow to industry if Starmer bans outdoor smoking, fuming trade bosses warn
Confirming yesterday’s Sun exclusive that he is considering a ban, PM Sir Keir Starmer insisted it is for the good of the nation’s health.
But punters landlords and politicians warned his clampdown would be a hammer blow to the hospitality industry.
Analysis from the British Beer and Pub Association claimed a ban would see an extra 800 venues go to the wall in the next five years — equivalent to three a week.
The trade body says applying the 6.4 per cent closure rate suffered after the 2007 indoor ban to Sir Keir’s proposals would see 2,900 pubs shut within five years compared to the projected 2,100.
The number shutting shop increased to 80 a month in the first quarter of 2024 — up 51 per cent on the year before.
A YouGov poll last night found 58 per cent of adults support a ban compared to 35 per cent opposed.
Anti-smoking charity ASH supported the plans, but warned: “It’s also important to ensure there are still outdoor areas where people can smoke in the open air, rather than inside their homes.”
Source: The Sun, 29 August 2024
Editorial Note: The analysis conducted by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) claiming that “a ban would see an extra 800 venues go to the wall in the next five years” is based on faulty analysis of the impact of smokefree legislation in 2007. Mark Easton, BBC home editor analysed the BBPA’s claims back in 2009 and found that the number of premises with licenses to sell alcohol actually increased by 4,200 following smokefree legislation. This reflected a shift in the pub industry as the number of drink-only pubs declined and the number of pubs serving food increased. Easton also cited survey findings from the ONS showing that pubs were more popular following the ban than before the ban. See the full analysis here: Pubs aren't dying - they are evolving.
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Comment: Should smoking ban be extended to more places
Writing in the Daily Express, Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health, makes the case for extending smokefree legislation to some outdoors spaces to protect public health. The opposition view comes from Simon Clark, Director of the tobacco industry-funded ‘smokers rights’ group, FOREST.
Arnott outlines how smoking must not be banned anywhere and everywhere, welcoming the government's pledge to consult before making final any ban. Arnott writes that the argument that smokefree legislation would harm the hospitality industry was made back in 2007 and was wrong then, with the legislation becoming so popular that it was largely self-enforcing. Arnott also notes that following the ban in 2007, 400,000 smokers quit. Arnott concludes by saying smoking is the leading cause of premature death and is responsible for a significant cost to the economy and as a result “the more we can do to end smoking altogether, the better it will be for everyone’s health and wellbeing.”
Source: Daily Express (print only), 30 August 2024
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Rachel Reeves tells Whitehall to make huge cuts before autumn budget
Several departments are understood to have been told to find more than £1 billion in savings each, with others ordered to find hundreds of millions of pounds in a cost-cutting drive that goes well beyond an attempt to fund public sector pay rises.
However, Reeves has been warned that she will have to look at more radical reforms, such as means-testing state pensions, to achieve the scale of savings needed in the years ahead.
It comes as the Resolution Foundation think tank warns that this year might be as good as it gets for family finances, with most of the rise in household incomes across the parliament coming before next spring.
The Department of Health has been asked to find savings worth around £1.3 billion in time for the October budget, sources told The Times. Officials at the Department for Education are also looking at how to absorb around £1 billion of savings.
Requests for cuts from the Treasury to departments are subject to negotiation, meaning that the final figures may vary by the time of the budget. Cuts to be announced by Reeves in October are likely to be the first step in a wider overhaul of the public finances expected in the spending review covering future years of the parliament.
Source: The Times, 28 August 2024
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Workers to be weighed in the office for health MoT
More than 130,000 middle-aged people will be offered free health checks in their workplaces over the next six months.
These so-called Health MoTs take 20 minutes and involve weighing staff and measuring their blood pressure and cholesterol to see if they are at risk of type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
The workplace checks will be offered to over-40s and targeted at male- dominated industries, including factories and construction, because men are more at risk from heart disease.
If the tests reveal workers are at high risk, they will be offered treatment including blood pressure medication, statins to reduce cholesterol and referrals to an NHS weight-loss clinic.
The scheme, which is backed by £7 million of government funding, is being introduced next month. It is part of Labour’s focus on prevention in healthcare, aimed at reducing chronic illness to boost economic growth and productivity.
Andrew Gwynne, minister for public health and prevention, said: “We know so many deadly diseases can be avoided if we seek help in enough time. That’s why we’re working to improve access to treatment while also taking steps to address the preventable causes of cardiovascular disease.
“This innovative new programme is an important step towards community-focused healthcare and supporting economic productivity through improving health, shifting the focus from treatment to prevention, easing the strain on the NHS and helping people to live well for longer.”
At present health MoTs are offered every five years to all people aged 40 to 74 via GP surgeries. However, only 40 per cent of those eligible take up the offer, and going directly into workplaces is seen as a way to drive up the numbers having the checks.
Identifying risk factors early, such as high cholesterol or blood pressure, can help people to get started on medication to prevent their condition deteriorating and keep them in work.
Source: The Times, 30 August 2024
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Major US retailer to join the likes of Walmart and Target in ending tobacco sales
Stop & Shop, with more than 360 stores located in northeastern states such as New York and New Jersey, will join other majors in removing the products as part of its “commitment to community wellness”.
“Our responsibility as a grocer goes far beyond our aisles, and we are committed to taking bold steps to help our associates, customers, and communities work towards better health outcomes,” said Stop & Shop President, Gordon Reid.
“Stop & Shop aims to support the health and well-being of the neighbourhoods we serve.”
“This exit from tobacco is one more way we’re accomplishing that goal,” he added.
The news has been welcomed by public health advocates, including the American Cancer Society.
Target has not sold cigarettes since 1996, with CVS following suit in 2014 and in 2022 Walmart announced it would stop selling tobacco products in some of its stores.
Source: Irish News, 29 August 2024
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YouGov Poll: Would you support or oppose banning smoking in pub gardens and outdoor restaurants?
A new YouGov Poll published this week shows that 58% of adults support banning smoking in pub gardens and outdoor restaurants compared to 35% who are opposed. Support is highest among Labour voters (67%), followed by Lib Dems (65%), followed by the Conservatives (58%). It is lowest among Reform voters (41%). The Poll surveyed 3715 British adults, and its results can be broken down by region, gender, politics, age and social grade.
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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