Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has defended his decision to implement a ban on outdoor smoking in certain areas, deeming smoking a "burden on the NHS".

He said: "Over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking doing it. That's a preventable death. It's a huge burden on the NHS, and of course it's a burden on the taxpayer. 

"So yes, we are going to take decisions in this space. More details will be revealed, but this is a preventable series of deaths, and we've got to take the action to reduce the burden on the NHS and reduce the burden on the taxpayer."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has defended his decision to implement a ban on outdoor smoking in certain areas, deeming smoking a "burden on the NHS".He said: "Over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking doing it. That's a preventable death. It's a huge burden on the NHS, and...{ai:summary}<p>Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the decision to ban outdoor smoking in certain areas, citing over 80,000 annual smoking-related deaths as a preventable issue that burdens the NHS and taxpayers. He emphasized the need for action to mitigate these preventable deaths.</p><p>Further details on the ban are expected to be announced. #health</p>

Sir Keir Starmer defends outdoor smoking ban to tackle 'burden on the NHS'

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