Press Releases

New campaign to save pubs and clubs calls for changes to smoking ban

23/06/09
A new cross-party campaign is launched in Westminster today calling for amendments to the public smoking ban to help save many of Britain’s pubs and clubs.

With dozens of pubs and clubs closing every week, the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign brings together a wide range of politicians, pressure groups, think tanks, publicans and other representatives of the hospitality industry.

The aim is to secure amendments to the comprehensive ban on smoking in licensed premises when the legislation comes up for review in 2010. The campaign’s organisers argue that a change to the blanket ban would be fair to both smokers and non-smokers and would help pubs and clubs that are losing revenue, laying off staff and often facing closure.

A network of regional groups is to be set up throughout England and Wales to lobby politicians and raise public awareness of how an amendment to the smoking ban could help save hundreds of traditional community pubs and clubs.

Anthony Worrall Thompson, patron of the smokers’ group Forest and a leading supporter of the campaign, said:

“The smoking ban has had an extraordinarily detrimental effect on pubs and clubs and you can understand why. They used to be bastions of adult entertainment where young and old could meet and chat over a pint without the health police looking over their shoulders. Modern ventilation systems combined with separate rooms make it perfectly acceptable to smoke indoors. The legislation as it stands is excessive and I would like to see it amended."

The new campaign is supported by Forest, the liberal think tank Progressive Vision, the Adam Smith Institute, which champions the free market, and the Manifesto Club which campaigns for “freedom in everyday life”.

MPs from the three main parties have agreed to support the campaign.

Greg Knight, Conservative MP for East Yorkshire, said: "I fully support this campaign.  Britain's pubs and clubs are at the heart of every local community and the UK approach of banning indoor smoking everywhere is damaging the viability of many licensed premises where people wish to smoke.  Pub landlords and club committees know best what their customers want and they should be allowed to provide smoking rooms if there is a demand."

David Clelland, Labour MP for Tyne Bridge, said: “Pubs and clubs are feeling the strain economically and that may be partly due to the smoking ban, so I support this campaign.”

John Hemming, Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley, said: "When the ban went through I proposed an alternative of a separate smoking room. This would be better for non-smokers as they would not have to go through a gauntlet of smokers when going to a pub, which is an unintended consequence of the ban. We need to amend the law so it is fair to smokers and non-smokers alike and doesn't compromise the future of pubs and clubs."

Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: “It’s time to put the effects of the smoking ban back on the political agenda. Not only is the present legislation unfair on the many millions of adult smokers, it is increasingly threatening the existence of our local pub or club.

“We need to find ways to amend the ban, through the provision of separate, ventilated smoking areas, to cater for the wishes of all customers and to help pubs and clubs increase their turnover in these troubled economic times.”

Further information
Simon Clark 07774 781840 or Mark Littlewood 07974 569299

Note to editors
The Save Our Pubs & Clubs Campaign is launched at the Buckingham Arms, 62 Petty France, Westminster at 11am on Tuesday 23rd June. The launch will be attended by TV chef and restaurateur Anthony Worrall Thompson.