Minister tells students total smoking ban is "inevitable"
Exclusive: A total ban on smoking in England could be inevitable, Cabinet minister Alan Johnson hinted to students tonight. Mr Johnson was speaking at "Tough Talk", an event organised by politics students at Hull University.
Responding to a question by audience member Alex Jackson, who criticised the recently-published plans for a ban on smoking in most enclosed public places, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said, "I think a total ban is inevitable." It is unclear whether he was referring to banning smoking in all pubs, regardless of whether they sell food and contrary to current plans, or smoking in general.
Either way, this goes further than other ministers have gone in the past. Health Secretary John Reid pledged in the Commons this week to cut the number of smokers by 2 million over 5 years, but he has also gone on the record saying that smoking is one of the few pleasures the working class have left in life.
Mr Johnson, who is a local Hull MP, swept into the plush surroundings of the Lindsey Suite in the university's Staff House from behind the audience, spotlight centred firmly on him and with a rising musical accompaniment. Within half an hour he was gone, apparently unable to join disappointed students – including at least one of his constituents – for a drink in the union bar.
This was probably a wise decision given that he was the man responsible for driving through the controversial legislation on university top-up fees. His reception was distinctly lukewarm in most quarters. Perhaps surprisingly, Mr Johnson was not questioned on education policy at all, and nor were other issues currently exercising students like the war in Iraq raised – save for a sole heckler after the questioning had finished and Mr Johnson was beating a hasty retreat (needless to say, he was ignored).
Whether this could have had anything to do with the audience being filled with Labour Club members who were particularly enthusiastic in asking questions we couldn't possibly say.
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