Efforts to ban smoking in pubs in Wales have taken a dent after only five out of the 40 Welsh MPs turned out to debate the issue in Parliament.
Just four Welsh Labour and one Plaid Cymru MP were present for the second reading of Cardiff MP Julie Morgan's Bill seeking to give the Welsh Assembly the power to ban smoking in all public places.
With only 14 MPs voting for the measure and seven voting against following the reading on March 18, the Bill has now been put back until another day - virtually guaranteeing that it will collapse before the General Election.
The Bill's failure has sparked new vigour among licensees who have joined The Publican's Butt Out! campaign to stop the Welsh Assembly from interfering in the national smoking issue.
Grey Phillips, secretary of the Swansea & District Licensed Victuallers' Association, said it was "marvellous" the Bill had not gone through, but admitted: "It's only one part of it and we now have to change the Assembly's mind."
John Price, Licensed Victuallers' (Wales), said despite the potential ban the fight was still on. "There are more than 112 publicans just in the Rhondda Valley alone who are ready to stand up against it," he said.
Mr Price said he and his members were even considering forming their own political party, similar to Scotland, where the Publican Party is opposing the smoking ban.
Mrs Morgan told The Publican she was still confident a ban would come in "within a year".
She believes it will not be necessary to take up the Bill again because special attention will be given to Wales by the Department of Health following the election.
- The debate on plans for a smoking ban in Liverpool and Westminster was cancelled earlier this month while the House of Lords continued to debate the Prevention of Terrorism Bill. A new date has yet to be set for the debate.