Health leaders have welcomed news that the UK government is considering restricting smoking in some outdoor public areas to help cut deaths from tobacco use and reduce the burden on the NHS.
The plans are not concrete, but measures could involve banning smoking in pub gardens, outdoor restaurants, and hospital grounds. Any new ban would apply only in England, but the other devolved nations could follow suit.
When asked about media reports on the suggested ban the prime minister, Keir Starmer, confirmed that the government was considering it.1 He told the BBC on 29 August, “Over 80 000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking. That is a preventable death and is a huge burden on the NHS and on the taxpayer. So yes, we are going to take decisions in this space, and more …
