UK: In a surprise move, the British government is considering tougher anti-smoking rules in outdoor areas such as pub gardens, hospitals, universities and playgrounds. Despite an indoor smoking ban in pubs, the NHS spends more than £2.5 million annually on smoking-related illnesses in England alone. Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed his support for banning smoking in some outdoor spaces to ease pressure on the NHS and reduce the cost to taxpayers. “I want us to move to a smoke-free environment, reduce those preventable deaths. I want to reduce the burden on the NHS, which is desperately needed,” he said as he met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Starmer’s Labour government, elected in July, plans to reintroduce legislation from the former Conservative administration. The law aims to ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born in January 2009 or later. Although it did not become law due to the early election, the proposal includes raising the legal age to buy cigarettes by one year every year until it becomes illegal for everyone. Although specific details have not yet been decided, Starmer stressed his goal of reducing deaths from preventable diseases. He said, “My starting point on this is to remind everyone that over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking… This is a preventable series of deaths and we have to take action to reduce the burden on the NHS and the taxpayer.”
Smoking ban in Britain? What does PM Keir Starmer say? Know here
