A stalwart pub owner has rebuked claims a beer garden smoking ban will hammer another “nail in the coffin” for the hospitality industry.
Philip Thorley, of Thorley Taverns in Thanet, insists “good pubs” will not shut if the government’s divisive proposals are rolled out.
PM Keir Starmer’s Labour appears set to ban smoking in some outdoor areas; restaurants, sports venues, hospitals, nightclubs, and small parks.
Explaining he would rather the rules were not enforced, Mr Thorley said: “As for pubs closing, bad pubs shut, and good pubs don’t – If you’ve got a good business that’s well run and delights customers on every visit, they don’t shut.
“I don’t think the ban will be the final nail in the coffin for pubs. They’ve been around for centuries and are extremely resilient, and our customers change as time passes, but I think choice is really important in life.
“The company has been going for over 50 years, so we were trading before the indoor smoking ban, and we’ve gotten over that hurdle really well.
“I definitely wouldn’t want to see a ban. I don’t smoke anymore, but I respect people’s choice – The whole plan seems ill-thought-through, and if you ended up pushing people from pub gardens onto the pavement, I don’t think that’s a very sensible solution either.”
Earlier today, Sir Keir endorsed the plans, confirming the ban, initially proposed by Rishi Sunak but dropped before last month’s general election, was on the table.
He told Sky News that moving forward with changes to rules will aid in removing over 80,000 preventable deaths each year from smoking and will help ease the strain on tax payers and the NHS.
News of the proposals drew heavy criticism from hospitality industry officials voicing concerns about the future of establishments.
Reem Ibrahim, acting director of communications at the Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank, said banning outdoor smoking would be “another nail in the coffin for the pub industry”.
She said: “The Government’s own impact assessment concluded that banning smoking outdoors will lead to pub closures and job losses.
“Pubs and other private venues should be able to determine their own outdoor smoking rules – just as they should be allowed to decide whether to play music, serve food or show football on TV.
“Smoking rates are already declining in the UK, in large part due to smokers switching to safer alternatives to combustible cigarettes.
“The Government should look to countries like Sweden, which has attained the lowest prevalence of smoking in the world, not by implementing nanny state measures like this proposal, but by allowing adults to choose safer and healthier products.”
In 2007, under the last Labour government, smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces was made illegal across the UK.
According to health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), in the year following the introduction of smoke-free laws, there was a 2.4% reduction in hospital admissions for heart attacks in England, saving 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% reduction in hospital admissions for childhood asthma, equivalent to 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.
Charities and health experts were dismayed when the Bill was shelved as a result.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, said: “The priority is to get the bill back in Parliament and put it in the statute book to end smoking for the next generation and curb youth vaping.
“ASH would support the inclusion of powers to extend smoke-free laws outdoors, subject to consultation.
“The Government is catching up with what the public expects, and that’s not to have to breathe in tobacco smoke in places like children’s play areas and seating areas outside pubs, restaurants and cafes.
“However, it’s also important to ensure that there are still outdoor areas where people who smoke can smoke in the open air, rather than inside their homes.”
