Wes Streeting calls for 'national debate' on banning smoking outside pubs as PM rules out earlier closing times
25 September 2024, 11:17
The Health Secretary has called for a "national debate" about the prospect of banning smoking outside pubs.
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A restriction is being considered by the Government as part of a range of measures which will be set out shortly, Wes Streeting said.
Ministers are examining what can be done to help smokers quit and to "deal with the scourge of second hand smoke and passive smoke," he said.
"We definitely want to see smoking phased out in our country, we committed to that in our manifesto.
Mr Streeting added that a ban on smoking outside pubs is "one of the measures that I'm considering, and I'm up for a national debate on this issue."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month confirmed he was considering a ban on outdoor smoking in areas such as beer gardens or outside sports stadiums.
It sparked a huge backlash with concerns a ban could cause massive harm to the pub industry and other hospitality businesses.
But today Sir Keir moved to rule out earlier closing times for drinkers.
Nick Ferrari is joined by Sir Keir Starmer | Watch the full interview
Read More: Protect our pubs: Why a new smoking ban could be the final blow to Britain's local heartlands
He told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: "This is not Government policy. We are not going to do it.
"Closing time is not going to change. I can give you that guarantee."
Last week Mr Streeting insisted that he would make changes "with people" and not "to people" when asked about nanny state concerns, saying he is not the "fun police".
Some in the hospitality industry have voiced concerns over potential plans to ban outdoor smoking, including in beer gardens and outside stadiums.
Meanwhile, Mr Streeting has also vowed that the NHS waiting list will be "demonstrably lower" by the next general election.
In his speech to the Labour Party conference on Wednesday, Mr Streeting set out plans to prioritise clearing NHS backlogs in the areas with the highest levels of people out of work due to ill health.
"Crack teams" of leading clinicians will be sent to hospitals in areas of the country with the highest levels of economic inactivity as part of a Government bid to boost employment.
Senior doctors will be drafted in to implement reforms aimed at getting patients treated faster in a bid to get people back to work.
They will start with 20 hospital trusts in the parts of the country with the biggest rates of economic inactivity.
In his speech, Mr Streeting reiterated one of the points from a report by Lord Darzi, which is that there is a need to prevent ill health in the first place.
He added: "We can only deliver recovery through reform.
"Without action on prevention, the NHS will be overwhelmed. Without reform to services, we'll end up putting in more cash for poorer results.
"That's the choice. Reform or die. We choose reform."
Mr Streeting told delegates the NHS had been letting people down, adding: "It is up to us to prove that politics can be a force for good again.
"So let me to say to every one of you in this hall and to the millions of dedicated staff in health and social care across our country.
"We are the generation that will take the NHS from the worst crisis in its history to build an NHS fit for the future.
"We are the generation that will build a national care service worthy of the name."
The Health Secretary has faced some criticism over the repeated rhetoric about the "broken" NHS.
One health leader said: "But there's an increasing nervousness that if it continues much longer, it could spook patients and make it really difficult to raise staff morale. Hope is important."
In his speech, Mr Streeting said protecting the reputation of the NHS must not be put above patients.
He said:"I know the doctor's diagnosis can sometimes be hard to hear.
"But if you don't have an accurate diagnosis, you won't provide the correct prescription.
"And when you put protecting the reputation of the NHS above protecting patients, you're not helping the NHS, you're killing it with kindness."
During his speech, the Health Secretary also hailed Labour's success in "ending the junior doctors' strikes" after an above-inflation Government pay deal worth 22.3 per cent was accepted by the British Medical Association.
But the Government faces further questions over how it will resolve an ongoing dispute with nurses after its offer of a 5.5 per cent rise was rejected.
