UK government is condemned for compromise on smoking ban

Only a partial ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces will be introduced in England in 2007, and many pubs and bars will be exempt. The announcement by the UK government came after a widely publicised split in the cabinet that ended in a defeat for advocates of a complete ban.

The decision drew condemnation from Labour MPs, doctors, antismoking groups, and the pub industry. Labour MPs blamed the defence secretary, John Reid, for derailing a total ban.

Mr Reid argued that to ban smoking in all pubs would be to impose puritanical middle class values on the broader …