How far will Starmer’s smoking ban go?

When Rishi Sunak announced his plan to create a ‘smoke-free generation’ at conference, some of his own MPs were bemused. It wasn’t just the policy but the timing – were the Tory grassroots the right audience? In truth, Sunak had been in a rush to make the announcement because he feared (and some of his advisers had warned) that if he didn’t do it soon, Labour might beat him to it. So there was little surprise when in Keir Starmer’s first King’s Speech, the bill was resurrected. However, now Starmer and his Health Secretary Wes Streeting plan to go further than Sunak planned.

The bill was initially designed to phase out all smoking and make it so anyone born after 2009 could never legally buy cigarettes. However, the Sun reveals that ministers want to strengthen the legislation and use it as a vehicle by which to bring in an outdoor ban on smoking in a variety of places.