Labour's Commons leader Lucy Powell has insisted that the proposed measures 'aren't an attack on the hospitality industry' and that they plan to consult with businesses that could be affected.
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00:00If the government is considering this as a measure, we would want them to do a fully
00:05evidenced consultation with the industry to understand, yes, exactly how it might impact
00:10footfall. There is every potential it will reduce it, which obviously would be devastating
00:15for a sector that is still recovering from lockdown and some of the other issues that
00:19they've experienced over the last few years. And so we'd want any kind of consideration
00:23to be taken to support the industry. And if it is going to have a negative impact to actually
00:28not go ahead with measures that would do that.
00:31Similar bans already exist abroad in places like Australia. Smoking has plummeted over
00:36the past 25 years as a result of similar policies.
00:39We don't have Australian weather, so we can't benefit from the outdoor space that they have
00:43there. And I'm sure they use that in a much different way to British pub gardens, which
00:47whilst brilliant, are rainy, much like today has been already for a September morning.
00:53So yeah, I think what we would have to do is to take lessons learned from others, but
00:56also not apply those blanket. As I said, if one thing works in one country, we can't
01:01necessarily say it will work here.
01:03The Great British pub is a tradition well known across the world and is an experience
01:07sought out by visitors to the UK and locals alike. But would a ban affect the atmosphere
01:13and social dynamic of pubs here in the UK?
01:16If we saw a blanket or a quite draconian smoking ban outdoors, that would have a huge impact
01:21in what people choose to do, the friendship groups that they have and what people choose
01:25to do for entertainment or evening. If you're a mixed group and several of you are smokers
01:31and some of you aren't, at the moment you go down the pub, you can sit in the garden
01:34together and that's great. And the smokers don't have to leave or anything. You can continue
01:39to socialise together.
01:40If we saw things like a smoking ban for outdoors come out, the big danger is, yes, people would
01:45choose to just not go to the pub because they can't partake in something that they want
01:49to. And the real danger is they choose to then drink at home. It would have a huge impact
01:54on pubs if people started to, in large numbers, choose not to go to the pub anymore.