What the Sunday papers said

Hundreds of English pubs plan to flout next month's ban on smoking in public places, reports the Sunday Telegraph. The number of pubs involved in defying the no smoking rules, which come in on July 1, is expected to grow, with some publicans vowing to break the law if customers want them to. The ban is facing three High Court challenges, and a survey reveals up to three million smokers plan to defy the new rules. - Sunday Telegraph​

Members of Parliament are planning to defy the smoking ban when it comes into force next month, says the Sunday Mirror. While members of the public face fines of £50 for lighting up in a pub or an office, MPs are plotting to continue smoking in their Parliamentary offices. One veteran MP is quoted by the newspaper as saying he doesn't see why he has to "stand outside shivering every time we want a ciggie". - Sunday Mirror​

Smokers will be asked to quit before they can undergo routine surgery, NHS managers are suggesting, reports the Sunday Times. Rod Moore, assistant director of public health at Leicester City West Primary Care Trust said it should become the norm for patients to stop smoking prior to having an operation, arguing that doing so improved their chances of recovery. - Sunday Times​

The European Union is targeting office workers who smoke outside their offices, says the Observer. The EU is considering extending the no smoking restrictions "to outdoor areas around entrances to buildings and possibly to other outdoor public places where people sit or stand in immediate proximity to each other". - Observer​

Persistent binge drinkers who turn up at police stations and casualty departments would be fast-tracked into detox regimes, under new government plans, writes the Independent On Sunday. Ministers are expected to unveil the proposal this week as part of a new strategy to tackle alcohol abuse. - Independent On Sunday​

More than a million youngsters are turned out of British pubs every month for failing to prove they are over 18, says the Sunday Mirror. The British Beer & Pub Association says the figures show publicans are making a huge effort to reduce under-age drinking. - Sunday Mirror​

Replica football shirts sold to children will no longer carry the logos of alcohol industry sponsors under new rules unveiled at the weekend, reports the Sunday Times. Drinks industry body the Portman Group says that drinks companies sponsoring sports teams have agreed it is inappropriate for children to wear shirts advertising alcohol brands. Critics of the new rules argue there could be a fall-off in sales if shirts are sold without their current logos. - Sunday Times​

Whitbread is close to selling off its David Lloyd Leisure operation to private property company London & Regional for £920m, reckons the Observer. The sale's proceeds will be used by Whitbread to pay down its debt and expand its Premier Travel Inn chain. Some observers suggest the sale could presage a bid for Whitbread itself, possibly from predatory US group Starwood Capital. - Observer ​