U.K. Eyes Expanded Smoking Ban

The United Kingdom’s new government is considering an expanded smoking ban as it works to decrease tobacco use.

According to reports, the government is working on a proposal that would expand non-smoking areas. It’s unclear how firm the proposals are at the moment, but places such as pub gardens, hookah lounges, as well as areas outside bars, stadiums, universities and hospitals were mentioned in a report by The Sun, which claims to have seen documents related to the proposals. When asked about the report by The Sun, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, head of the new Labour government, did not deny that plans were being worked on but didn’t go into specifics.

Eventually, there will be a public comment period which will outline the places being considered. It’s unclear whether the move will go after sampling rooms or smoking terraces, the common terms used for cigar lounges in the U.K.

Furthermore, it’s unclear what this will mean for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, a generational tobacco ban that was introduced by Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister. Last year, Sunak began working on getting that proposal—which would ban anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco and vaping products in the U.K.—passed into law. The Conservative Party lost a July 4 election, meaning Starmer and the Labour Party are now in control.

Given that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill had more support from Labour than it did Sunak’s own party, it’s no surprise that Starmer’s government has been clear that it intends to move forward with the generational tobacco ban. As of now, the plan appears to include the smoking ban with the generational tobacco ban, though that presumably could change.