Government sets out smoke vote rules.
A total smoke ban appears a step nearer after the Government announced a free vote for MPs.
The Government announced three choices
- A total smoke ban
A ban for pubs but not private club
A ban only affecting pubs which serve food.
The vote is expected to take place on February 14 and Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs seem largely in favour of a complete ban.
The complete ban also has the backing of a growing number of Conservatives but there is still a strong vote in favour of exempting clubs.
Any exemption for member's clubs would spell disaster for Britain's pubs.
Yesterday a spokesman for health secretary Patricia Hewitt said she was "agnostic" on the issue and would be consulting with private clubs in her constituency before deciding how to vote on the exemption.
She will back a full ban in pubs.
Ms Hewitt originally supported a near-complete ban but was forced to retreat after opposition in the cabinet led by her predecessor, John Reid.
The Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Steve Webb, said yesterday: "The whole thing is a complete farce. The health secretary should have had the courage of her convictions from the start and gone for a clear and total ban.
"The government has got itself into a complete mess."
Professor Alex Markham, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, backed a total ban saying: "All employees, including those who work in private members' clubs, deserve the right to work in a safe environment. Anything other than a comprehensive law would leave thousands of workers unprotected."
