Nearly 20 years have passed since smoking was banned in British pubs, bars and restaurants. The landmark ban in July 2007 reflected a huge shift in the nation's attitude, with the number of smokers declining drastically in the years that followed, as well as respiratory illnesses among bar staff and heart attack admissions.
Rupert Lowe's pledge
Now, Restore Britain's Rupert Lowe has pledged to bring back smoking rooms if his party wins power, placing the choice back in bosses' hands. In a video posted on X for Metro, they explained: "Restore Britain also believes that it should be down to the landlord or landlady to decide on a smoking room option. If you'd like to have a well-vented smoking room, then you should have one, and if you don't want to go into the smoking room, don't go there."
Public opinion
Following its tenth anniversary, nearly three-quarters of people said they would oppose it being overturned, in a YouGov poll of more than 4,000 adults. The health lobby fought hard for decades to introduce the change, arguing that smokers were putting others at risk through secondhand inhalation. However, critics said the risks from passive smoking did not justify the ban.
Impact of the ban
Shortly after the ban, the results were stark. Respiratory illness reported by bar workers immediately fell after the ban, according to an evidence review published by the Department of Health in 2011. The review also highlighted research that hospital admissions for heart attacks fell by 2.4% immediately following the law change. That was the equivalent of 1,200 heart attacks a year. The ban also encouraged smokers to quit, with a 23% uplift in attempts made through the NHS stop-smoking services. The YouGov poll found the ban influenced 14% of ex-smokers in their decision to quit.
Other proposals
Mr Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, which believes in "secure borders, national pride, traditional Christian principles", said he would also allow teenagers to drink in pubs. The video said: "We will allow supervised pubs to serve low-strength drinks to 16 and 17 year olds, giving young people somewhere safe, instead of on the street corner."
