An angry punter has taken aim at Sir Keir Starmer‘s ‘aggressive’ plans to ban smoking in pub gardens saying: ‘You’ll be paying for fresh air next.’
Glynis Essex, 68, was defiant as she told the premier she was ‘still going to smoke’ even if the Labour government enforces tougher rules.
Sitting outside a pub in Newcastle clutching a glass half-full of beer in her hand, the retired nursery nurse accused Sir Keir of not wanting people to have a life and asked: ‘What is wrong with the man?’
Glynis, who has COPD, a severe lung disease, told MailOnline: ‘What else is Kier going to do to cripple us all? You’ll be paying for fresh air soon.
‘We’ve already had it barred from the pubs and it’s the cigarette taxes that keep the country going. Does he not want people to have a life? He’s clamping down on everything.’
Restaurant terraces, shisha bars and pavements beside universities and hospitals are also expected to be made smoke-free zones – as the new Labour government cracks down even harder than Rishi Sunak planned.
Angry punter Glynis Essex, 68, has taken aim at Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘aggressive’ plans to ban smoking in pub gardens saying: ‘You’ll be paying for fresh air next’
The retired nursery nurse was defiant as she sat outside a pub in Newcastle and told the premier she was ‘still going to smoke’ even if the Labour government cracks down on outdoor smoking
Sir Keir Starmer today confirmed he is considering a ban on outdoor smoking amid claims it could see Brits barred from lighting up in beer gardens or outside stadiums
Restaurant terraces, shisha bars and pavements beside universities and hospitals are also expected to be made smoke-free zones
Leaked Whitehall documents outlining the idea have been blasted by hospitality leaders and MPs.
Commuters who MailOnline spoke to this morning have been left divided by the plans.
But it was Glynis who echoed the sentiments of the many smokers we spoke with.
‘Does he [Sir Keir] not want people to have a life?,’ she said. ‘Seriously, he’s clamping down on everything. He’s already taken my £200 heating allowance away. There’s only me on my own, I’ve got no support.’
She added: ‘Why are you taking all of my privileges away and spoiling my life, my enjoyment?
‘Because that is all I’ve got: this [pub] and my cigarettes.’
Many defiant smokers refused to stop lighting up and accused the ‘nanny state’ Government of taking away people’s freedom. But others, including smokers, said it could give those who are addicted the ‘nudge’ they need to quit.
Chay Pinkerton (pictured) said he couldn’t see why people shouldn’t be allowed to smoke in outdoor spaces
Dan Lungeanu, a 36-year-old engineer from London, said: ‘It is a double edge sword, whatever limits people liberties is not OK.’
Lee Teasdale, 47, a watch repairer said: ‘It’s another law they’re going to pass that takes away more freedom.’
Kath Cox, a retail manager from Newcastle, said: ‘This is going to affect restaurants and businesses if people can’t smoke or vape outside.’
Labour’s leaked proposals have prompted accusations of ‘nanny state’ politics. (File photo)
The leaked plans also reveal Labour’s plot to ban smoking near football stadiums. Pictured: Fans walk along Wembley Way
Mark Brennan, who has smoked since he was 18, told MailOnline: ‘I go to pub gardens to smoke outside so it will impact me. The government should lay off a little bit. The policy is too much. It’s too aggressive.
‘The bars are struggling already since Covid. It’s becoming a dictatorial state being told what to do.’
The 55-year-old, who is from Newcastle, added: ‘I’m trying to stop smoking, I’ve tried a few times and haven’t succeeded.
‘I have mixed feelings on it. It will help people stop eventually. There’s a lot of people smoking and it isn’t good for you.’
Lyndsey Dawes, 38, a bar worker from Newcastle, said: ‘I’m still going to smoke, f*** the government.
‘The government made this legal in the first place. If they didn’t want people smoking they shouldn’t have brought it in.
‘Then they criticise the smokers. They need to get their priorities right. Smoking is a bad habit, it’s something you can’t just get over.’
George Brown, a 35-year-old smoker from Newcastle, praised the proposals.
The store worker said: ‘Weirdly enough I think it’s a good thing.
‘I’m trying to quit, although it’s not going very well, and it might give people a push to quit.
‘Sometimes it takes a little nudge.
‘Smokers are quite lazy and if we have to walk an extra 30 feet to smoke, plus the added taxes on cigarettes, it isn’t worth it anymore.
‘It sucks for the people that are addicted but it’s going to be better for the country’s health so it might be a good thing.
‘It won’t ruin the pub industry. If that’s the industries’ issue with it then there must be more issues at play as people don’t go to the pub to smoke anymore.
‘You need something else to draw people in.
This member of the public told MailOnline she did not think the ban would help smokers, but that it will protect ‘non-smokers from the poison’
Kevin Howells (left) said he agreed with the proposed ban. While Business development manager Faisal (right) said: ‘I think the people will be walking away for 15 minutes at the time, but they won’t walk away from the business.’
In Brighton, 23-year-old Brooke Hobson said: ‘I think if I was still smoking, I’d think it’s quite silly.’
‘If that’s why people are going there, they need to correct that. The steps to try and get the country smoke-free are a good thing. At the end of the day, if it’s going to help our health then it’s fine.
‘You can tell that Kier Starmer isn’t a smoker with these policies but I think he has our interests at heart.’
Lee Teasdale, 47, a watch repairer said: ‘It’s another law they’re going to pass that takes away more freedom.
‘It’s freedom of choice, people should be able to do what they want. It’s just trying to tell us what to do.
‘It’s becoming a nanny state. It’s going to ruin the pub industry.
‘If you look at Newcastle now it isn’t the thriving nightlife it used to be and this certainly isn’t going to help.
‘We will see more closures. The large beer gardens rely on football being on and people smoking.’
Kath Cox, a retail manager from Newcastle, said: ‘This is going to affect restaurants and businesses if people can’t smoke or vape outside.
‘However, it’s going to make people leave their drink there and move onto the streets.
‘We adapted before when we were banned from smoking inside so I’m sure we will adapt again but it will be a change.
‘It’s becoming a nanny state. They are trying to get us under some kind of control and do everything they want us to do, which we have seen in previous years.
‘If it goes ahead there will be a lot of people opposing it.
The 42-year-old said: ‘I have lots of issues about it but they are never going to ban cigarettes because they get so much money from the tax on it.
George Brown, a 35-year-old smoker from Newcastle, praised the proposals
Jack Boggis, the 24-year-old bar manager of The Dorset Pub, said: ‘If I end up having to leave the whole premises, go down the road I may as well just go home!.’
Daniel, 38, a water treatment consultant and plumber from London, told MailOnline he would support the ban in parks and anywhere where there are children
A 54-year-old finance systems manager named Perpetua backed the plans, saying she is ‘gassed by the cigarette smoke’ when walking past people lighting up
‘Either let us carry on or ban smoking all together.
‘What are they trying to achieve from it because we are still giving them the money and they are still taking it.
‘They can’t have that much of a problem with it if they still sell them.
‘It’s the same with alcohol. It creates so many problems down the line for the NHS so you go round in circles on how to combat something.
‘There is something that needs to be done in terms of vaping, you see so many kids vaping.’
Smoker Chay Pinkerton added: ‘I don’t see the problem smoking in public. people smoke, people vape. Everywhere you go, people are always going to be smoking. If people don’t want to be around smoke, they can move somewhere else.
‘They shouldn’t take it away from people… I think it’s stupid personally. It’s taking away people’s freedom.’
Jonathan Macmillan added: ‘I think you should be able to do whatever you want… it won’t be a good idea. People are entitled to whatever they are want to do. People won’t want to go out and enjoy themselves if they can’t do something they enjoy.’
MailOnline reporters have been out chatting to people in Brighton (pictured) and other cities today to discuss whether smoking should be banned in some outdoor settings
Mark Brennan, who has smoked since he was 18, told MailOnline: ‘This will harm the hospitality industry.’
Daniel, 38, a water treatment consultant and plumber from London, told MailOnline: ‘I would support the ban in parks anywhere where there is children we would support the ban. You need to respect those boundaries.
‘I don’t smoke around my kids and don’t want others smoking around my kids either.
‘I’m not a massive drinker and don’t go to pub that much, but I would be less likely to go to a pub if there was a smoking ban as it’s more of an inconvenience.
‘It definitely wouldn’t help me quit smoking. Banning what you can and can’t do doesn’t stop people from doing those things. Look at [drugs] people still do those despite being illegal.’
Dan Lungeanu, a 36-year-old engineer from London, said: ‘It is a double edge sword, whatever limits people liberties is not OK.
‘A lot of ex-smokers would agree as well people that a ban would jump the gun and just be wrong.
‘I also don’t think passive smoking outside is that big of a deal. Also when people are forced outside they will throw their cigarettes straight onto the floor which is bad for the environment.
‘And people would be all over the street blocking traffic, which is dangerous.’
Also in London, Elizabeth told MailOnline she thought it was a very good idea to ban smoking in some outdoor settings.
‘It’s better for my health,’ she said before adding that food will be ‘a lot more delicious to eat’ without the smell of smoke if it were to be banned at restaurant terraces.
Business development manager Faisal, 56, said: ‘I think the people will be walking away for 15 minutes at the time, but they won’t walk away from the business.’
While Kevin Howells, a managing director of a security company, said he ‘controversially’ agreed with the ban. ‘We all like to go and have some sort of fresh air in beer gardens… that’s where the smokers concentrate.’
There have been warnings the plans could further damage Britain’s hospitality sector. Pictured: File photo
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner is pictured smoking a cigarette during her party’s annual conference in Brighton in 2021
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accused Labour of ‘showing its authoritarian socialist state control instincts and mentality’
He said he did, however, fear for the impact on pubs. He said businesses could look at smoke-designated rooms to ‘keep everyone happy’. Mr Howells added that he did not think this ban would help cut down on smoking and that people would simply find another location.
Josh, a financial analyst, thinks it might be a bit over the top to ban it in pubs.
But he raised doubts about how it would be enforced and suggested people may have to be searched beforehand.
‘But how would they do that in pubs?,’ he said. ‘Outside football stadiums maybe they could, but pubs it’s almost impossible.’
But he doesn’t think it’ll encourage people to quit smoking as they will just ‘stand on their own and smoke like they do now’.
Steve, 44, who works in payment processing, 44, said he backed the ban, telling MailOnline: ‘I don’t like smoking. I don’t like it near me. I feel like it affects me because I’m healthy. And I don’t like that being something that impacts me and my family.
When asked if he thinks this ban might make more people quit smoking, he said: ‘Probably not. I’ll be honest. People want to do what they want to do. , I wouldn’t like to be told what to do. So if I wanted to have a drink or smoke, I’m just going to find somewhere else to do it basically all we need.’
A 54-year-old finance systems manager named Perpetua added: ‘I think it’s 100 per cent a good idea because everybody knows about secondary smoke, and I don’t think people should be subjected to that.
‘If they choose to smoke, that’s fine, but it shouldn’t be imposed on them. So when you’re in a public place, you should just have respect for the people around you and not smoke.
‘People are moving towards not smoking, so they have their area outside and even that I don’t even think it’s great because as you walk through, you just get a mouthful of smoke.
‘Even at Victoria Station there, it’s the same thing. You come out of the station and you’re gassed by the cigarette smoke. I think people have the right to smoke, but they don’t have the right to impose it on other people.
But Michael McDade, 71, said: ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea, for I am a smoker, but I’m not a very big smoker. But I like to have my freedom. And if I want to smoke, then I go outside all the time, not to hurt the people inside.
‘So now they want to say, I can’t smoke outside I think that’s unfair. They’re just being really unfair. We’ve been doing it for years now, going outside to smoke. We’re not going smoking in the pub. We’re not annoying people on that. And now they want to say, OK, you can’t do that outside. I don’t think it’s very fair.’
When asked whether it will impact pubs, Mr McDade, from Switzerland, said: ‘It will be because we noticed in London everybody stands outside the pub. Nobody goes inside the pub anymore.
‘Everybody stands outside the pub and there are smokers out there and they enjoy life. And they’re still buying beer in the pub. If they say outside, you can’t smoke as well, there won’t be anybody standing outside, and the pub won’t be earning any money.’
Pub manager Tommy McGuiness, 42, said: ‘It’s a strange one for us because we don’t have a beer garden, we ahve a public highway which we maintain alnogside Westminster Council. Our customers do come here and drink and smoke. It’ll be a tricky one for us because if its a public highway, I don’t think that’s been mentioned.
‘If anything, we can get away with it!
‘I wouldn’t say it would impact us too much here. We’ve seen a massive fall in smoking, I’d be quite pleased to get rid of vapes. You walk out with stars in your eyes every time you walk out the pub.
Vincent Jones, 58, from Birmingham, is a hotel narrowboat owner and used to run pubs for three decades and raised doubts any ban would be able to be policed
Ashi Ahmed, 25, a law student at the University of Birmingham, doesn’t think it would impact people heading to the pub
‘I think if people want to smoke, they will. It’ll be a case of walking away from the pub a bit.
‘I’m a father of a six-year-old girl and I don’t want her growing up smoking so anything to discourage future smokers is a positive thing.’
Dan, a 23-year-old 999 call handler, said: ‘It’s a bit of a mixed bag. There’s advantages to it, around parks where there are a large quantity of children. It will also affect businesses that pubs and restaurants may get.
‘I think for some people it will help with quitting smoking, it gives you that extra push to quit, but not everyone. There’s a chance people will go for a shorter period of time and leave earlier due to the smoking ban.’
A 41-year-old smoker who wanted to remain anonymous told MailOnline: ‘If it is outside area I don’t see why there should be a ban. A restaurant I understand more as it is not fair on eaters.
‘But this will definitely impact businesses and they have already been through enough because of Covid.
‘It would also be impossible to enforce. Pubs are not going to call the police on their own customers and a lot of people would just break the rules.’
In Brighton, 23-year-old Brooke Hobson said: ‘I think if I was still smoking, I’d think it’s quite silly. It’s not just a social thing anymore, it’s part of people’s lives.’
She added: ‘I don’t think its appropriate to ban it from public spaces, inside it made so much sense.’
‘The more you tell people you can’t do this in this space, the more it incentivises younger people to think it’s cool… smoking is not cool, it’s just smoking at the end of the day!’
Frank Aeron is from New Oscott and is a self-employed health and safety officer and called any ban on smoking outdoors a ‘brave thing to do’
People would still be allowed to smoke in their own homes and large open spaces, like streets and parks
A ‘no smoking’ sign at a park in London shows a child’s drawing with words written underneath: ‘Smoking harms our health. Please do not smoke in our playground’
Also in Brighton, Jack Boggis, the 24-year-old bar manager of The Dorset Pub, said: ‘If I end up having to leave the whole premises, go down the road I may as well just go home!’
Adam Hattersley, owner of Kenny’s Rock & Soul in the city, said: ‘I like that people can do what they want at the moment, and have the freedom to smoke on our balcony.
‘But I can see both sides, obviously there are issues with smoking.’
Vincent Jones, 58, from Birmingham, is a hotel narrowboat owner and used to run pubs for three decades.
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Any ban wouldn’t impact his business as he already doesn’t allow smoking on his boats, but feels it could have ramifications for the hospitality sector.
‘It’s how do you police it?,’ he said, ‘that’s the biggest problem. It’s going to be hard to police. How do you stop people going to a different area to smoke? It’s a bit impossible really.’
Ashi Ahmed, 25, a law student at the University of Birmingham, doesn’t think it would impact people heading to the pub.
‘It’s all about the people you know,’ she told MailOnline. ‘The people I hang out with, we talk, we laugh, we make memories, we eat, we drink.
‘So it’s more about going to pubs for these things rather than to just go over there and smoke. You can smoke anywhere.’
Self-employed health and safety officer Frank Aeron, from New Oscott, thinks any ban on smoking outdoors is a ‘brave thing to do’.
‘I’m an ex-smoker. It doesn’t really impact or affect me. I’m not sure that this is the way that you want to go about it, because clearly the reason people smoke is varied, but I do think it will have a small impact.
‘I don’t think it will have a lasting impact because it’s a little bit draconian.
‘If it becomes law, as with seatbelts and others that have been passed with previous governments, yeah that’s the law.’
A Government spokesperson declined to confirm if plans to ban smoking outside were on the table, saying: ‘We don’t comment on leaks.
‘Smoking claims 80,000 lives a year, puts huge pressure on our NHS, and costs taxpayers billions. We are determined to protect children and non-smokers from the harms of second-hand smoking.
‘We’re considering a range of measures to finally make Britain smoke-free.’
In 2007 under the last Labour government smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces was made illegal across the UK.
Shisha bars also facing the axe, according to the leaked proposals. (File image)
According to Ash, in the year following the introduction of smoke-free laws there was a 2.4 per cent reduction in hospital admissions for heart attacks in England, resulting in 12,000 fewer admissions to hospitals and saved the NHS £8.4 million in the first year alone.
The first year after the introduction of the indoor smoking ban, also saw a 12.3 per cent reduction in hospital admissions for childhood asthma, equivalent of 6,803 fewer admissions over three years.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to crack down on smoking through his flagship Tobacco and Vapes Bill last year.
The Bill – dubbed the ‘greatest piece of public health legislation in a generation’ – had earned wide cross-party support and was progressing through Parliament when the General Election was called.
People would still be allowed to smoke in their own homes and large open spaces, like streets and parks. But other locations are said to be grey areas and still under discussion – including beaches and enclosed, popular parks.
The report also mentions vape-free zones, although it is unclear whether the ban could also include e-cigarettes.
As reports emerged over a possible outdoor smoking ban, MPs quickly condemned the move.
Reform MP Rupert Lowe wrote on X: ‘A ban on smoking in pub gardens? More intrusion into people’s lives. It happens slowly, and then accelerates with freedom evaporating. If people want to smoke in a pub garden, let them. There is much, much more of this to come. Stop treating us like children.’
Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick added: ‘The last thing this country needs is thousands more pubs closing. Our country faces huge challenges. Why is Starmer focusing on this nonsense?’
