A smoking ban is to enforced in all public places in Britain, including pubs, clubs and restaurants, after a parliamentary vote was passed by a great majority.
The ban will come into force in 2007, with a further 600,000 people giving up smoking and millions more protected from passive smoking, so claims the Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt.
384 parliamentarians, as well as Prime Minister Tony Blair, voted for the smoking ban, despite many criticisms as to this ban being an infringent of civil liberties, with 184 MPs opposing the ban.
Moreover, the ban will apply to workplaces and public set ups like train and bus stations.
It is of note that approximately 120,000 people die from smoking-related illnesses in the UK annually.
Many other European countries already have such a ban in force.
