LONDON: Jubilant health campaigners hailed parliament's decision to ban smoking in pubs and clubs, saying yesterday many lives would be saved and that hundreds of thousands of smokers would quit.

The House of Commons voted in favour of the ban by a wide margin late on Tuesday after MPs were given a free vote to stave off possible defeat for the government.

The bill, passed by 384 votes to 184, followed months of heated debate over the extent of a ban that had divided the Labour government.

The result means that, 50 years after British scientists became the first to establish a link between smoking and lung cancer, England joins the growing list of countries to ban workplace smoking.

While anti-smoking campaigners celebrated and pub owners pondered the implications for business, critics condemned the government for interfering and denying people choice.

The bill now passes to the House of Lords where it is expected to pass without amendment. If so, it will become law by mid-2007.

The government initially proposed a partial ban, exempting private clubs and pubs which do not serve food. But many Labour supporters said this was not tough enough, prompting open arguments between members of the cabinet.

Labour unions and the British Beer and Pub Association joined forces to call for a complete ban. The BBPA said a partial ban would put non-smoking pubs at an unfair disadvantage compared with those where smoking was permitted.

A survey last year showed 72 per cent of Britons wanted a blanket ban on smoking, covering all workplaces, restaurants and bars.

Source: China Daily