Plans to ban smoking in beer gardens could be dropped as government 'spooked'

Government plans to could be dropped amid warnings from the hospitality industry.

It was reported No10 is blocking the proposal after being "spooked" the crackdown could lead to job losses and pub closures.

In the summer said the government was looking at plans to s. A leak of government documents suggested at the time that lighting up could be banned outside , sports stadiums and children's parks.

Speaking in August, the PM said: "My starting point on this is to remind everybody that over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking. That is a preventable death, it's a huge burden on the and, of course, it is a burden on the taxpayer.

"So, yes, we are going to take decisions in this space, more details will be revealed, but this is a preventable series of deaths and we've got to take action to reduce the burden on the NHS and the taxpayer."

But according to the Guardian, Downing Street has been "spooked" by warnings from the hospitality industry that it could lead to pub closures. One No10 official told the newspaper: “It is an unserious policy. Nobody really believes smoking outdoors is a major health problem".

While the ban could still apply to some areas including hospital grounds, one government source told The : "No decision has been taken on pubs and hospitality".

The crackdown would have been included in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was set out in the King's Speech when was elected to Government. The legislation will extend UK-wide, although the measures may be applied in different ways across the UK.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We do not 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 put us on track to a Smoke-free UK.”

Downing Street refused to comment on speculation about the move. The PM’s official spokesman said: “Smoking claims 80,000 lives a year and puts huge pressures on the NHS.

“It costs taxpayers billions, and government is determined to protect children and non smokers from the harms of second hand smoking.

"And we've said before that we are considering a range of measures to put this on track to tackle to tackle the impact that smoking has.”

He said the Government’s number one priority was growing the economy when pressed on the impact on pubs.

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