Pub and hospitality trade bodies have issued a stark warning that three pubs per week could face closure if Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, proceeds with plans to ban outdoor smoking.

The British Beer and Pub Association says a ban will see an extra 800 venues go to the wall in the next five years - and mean 150,000 fewer pub visits a week.

The new government had already pledged to resurrect Rishi Sunak's flagship smoking bill, which intended to ban anyone aged 14 and under from ever buying cigarettes, but this was shelved before the election. However, Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said he could go further and also ban smoking in outdoor venues to reduce the number of preventable deaths linked to tobacco use.

Asked about criticism this move could "kill business", Labour's Commons leader, Lucy Powell said:

"We're certainly not attacking the hospitality industry. We support the hospitality industry. It's vital to our communities, our high street, our economy. I'm not going to pre-empt what is or isn't going to be in a future piece of legislation, but what I would say is that any such measures to extend some of these issues around smoking will be done in full consultation with hospitality business."

She added there has been "a consensus for a long time now that we want to see a smoke-free country" and the health and economic benefits "would be huge".

Smoking claims around 80,000 lives a year and estimates suggest it costs the NHS in England about £2.6bn a year.

While health campaigners have welcomed the latest plans, industry leaders in the hospitality sector have warned it could be a final nail in the coffin following the difficulties of the pandemic and cost of living crisis.

Sir Keir said the ban could include pub gardens, outdoor restaurants and outside sports venues, hospitals, nightclubs and some small parks.

Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, said:

"This raises the critical question: Are we on the brink of becoming a nanny state? What is next? While these measures may rightly be driven by public health considerations, they risk dividing opinion and imposing yet another regulatory burden on businesses already facing considerable challenges."

A number of Conservative MPs also spoke out against the plan, despite their own proposals to curb smoking for younger people, with shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins posting on X:

"We want to protect our children from taking up smoking and vaping. Our smoke-free generation legislation was designed to do that. Stopping adults from smoking in the open air, however, was not part of our plans. Labour is putting our hospitality sector at risk in the process."

Reform leader Nigel Farage told one newspaper he would "never go to the pub again if outdoor smoking was banned".

The smoking ban inside of pubs and other enclosed public spaces was brought in by the last Labour government in 2007. It led to a 2.4% reduction in hospital admissions for heart attacks and a 12.3% reduction in hospital admissions for childhood asthma within a year, according to Action on Smoking Health (ASH).

ASH said they support the government's proposals, but it is important for people who smoke to have somewhere outside to do so to prevent them from smoking indoors.

Hospitality UK chair Kate Nicholls warned of the economic implications, saying:

"A ban on smoking in outdoor spaces comes with the prospect of serious economic harm to hospitality venues."

She further explained:

"You only have to look to the significant closures we saw after the indoor smoking ban to see the potential impact it could have. This ban would not only affect pubs and nightclubs, but hotels, cafes and restaurants that have all invested significantly in good faith in outdoor spaces and continue to face financial challenges."