Smoking ban to blame for pub industry failures

23rd March 2009, 11:16am

Shadow Health Secretary Kenneth Clarke has described the smoking ban as the 'last straw' for the pub industry as he visited a brewery in Cardiff.

The outspoken Conservative MP added that the rate at which pubs are closing down is alarming.

Clarke said: "It's a combination of the extraordinary levels of tax that are imposed, changing social habits, undoubtedly, and the smoking ban was a large, last straw, and the rate at which they are closing has become really rather alarming."

He described the likelihood of the ban being overturned as slim: "I don't think it will be revisited. Popular opinion is going through a puritan phase and newspapers run health scares twice a week, science and pseudo-science is brought into play for all kinds of puritan causes and I watch with some amazement the way perfectly sensible campaigns about social and health risk get taken to absurd extremes by ardent campaigners.

"I do recall how Ash [Action on Smoking and Health] were extremely vehement that the smoking ban would have no effect on the licensed trade at all and produced the completely untrue assertion it had had no damaging effect on bars in Dublin. That seemed to be swallowed by most of the public and unfortunately – what mattered – the vast majority of Members of Parliament."

"I like the traditional pub, as do most other people living in Britain. It is always very sad to see them go."

Related Articles:

• 03 Apr 2009 - Brewing comes back to south London
• 10 Feb 2009 - Scottish smoking ban is good for bar workers
• 04 Feb 2009 - Restaurants hit the hardest by the recession
• 17 Dec 2008 - Smoking ban has failed

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Chris F J Cyrnik

25 March 2009 at 11:17am

Thank you Kenneth Clarke! At last the first high profile politician to tell the truth like it is. The smoking ban has had a massive and divisive effect on our society. His comment about health scares every week is on the money. Perhaps now, more sensible and tolerant voices will break cover and speak openly about this wanton vandalism wreaking havoc on our communities.

Jonathan Kenney

25 March 2009 at 5:37pm

I am pleased that Kenneth Clarke has told the truth regarding the smoking ban, i am fed up with commentators insulting our inteligence by blaming the 'bad weather', 'cheap supermarket beer', 'recession', 'taxes' etc for pub closures when everyone knows that the main cause is this absurd, immoral & unjust ban. No business can survive when 80% of its customers are banned (as it was in my local now demolished). If the MPs dont get rid of it then the people will get rid of them its good old common sense really, which does not seem to exist in the House of Commons anymore.

Laird James of Kincavel

27 March 2009 at 2:45pm

There are many false reasons for the disasters visiting the pub trade, the main ones quoted are the price rises and availability of cheap supermarket beer. I suggest that if some pubs and clubs were allowed to cater for smokers by charging an extra 20p on each drink to cover the cost of ventilation instalment they would find there would be no problem in filling their bars. THE BAN IS THE CAUSE OF THE DEMISE OF OUR FREEDOMS TO ENJOY A DRINK IN THE LOCAL AND WE ONLY HELP THOSE WHO WANT TO CHANGE OUR LIFE STYLE BY DENYING THAT THE BLANKET BAN IS THE ROOT OF THE SHAMBLES IN THE TRADE. SO CHANGE IT

Frank

28 March 2009 at 12:12pm

Sorry, Ken, I disagree. The Puritan phase is coming to an end as the economy bites and what will matter is what works. You will have to 'revisit' things that have proved to work. Are 'smoking cessation inspectors' going to be regarded as essential drains on the rates? No way. Slowly but surely, this ban will naturally dissemble. People will become uninterested in it's existence and where its breached, it wont matter.

Cathy

22 April 2009 at 5:18am

I DO hope you're right, Frank. The smoking ban is completely injust. Smoking should be allowed in separate rooms or areas, where non-smokers and staff do not have to come. In that way, it would affect no-one's health except the smokers themselves. What harm would that do? Who would it affect? No-one! The law is not about protecting non-smokers' health; it is about trying to make people give up, which is completely different. It is fashionable now to harass smokers, and acceptable to vilify them. They have become the new pariahs. I doubt it would be legal to victimise any other minority group in this way.

Ray

23 September 2009 at 6:08pm

I used to spend approx £180 a month in our local pool club and pub. I'm a non smoker and a non drinker. I had a great social life with the smokers and now, our pub is empty. I no longer go there and have social gatherings at their homes, private pool table and plenty of smoking. I chose to go to pubs and put up with the smoke. You may as well close down all the pubs and whilst you're at it, ban all assylum seekers and foreigners from our NHS and social system as well. Put that in your pipe and smoke it mr clarke (not with a capital letter either).

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