As the UK prepares to ban disposable vapes from 1 June 2025, the debate around smoking rules is heating up again — and this time, it’s the 2007 indoor smoking ban that’s back in the spotlight.
A resurfaced video from outside a London pub, originally filmed by The Guardian, has gone viral on TikTok, sparking fresh discussion nearly two decades after the nationwide ban on indoor smoking came into effect.
The 2007 law, introduced on 1 July, banned smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces. It was designed to protect the public from the dangers of second-hand smoke, but not everyone saw it as a positive change.
In the video, presenter Bryony Gordon admits she’s “hopelessly, utterly addicted to smoking” and talks about the upcoming rules that would force her and other smokers to light up only outside — or face an £80 fine for littering.
Commenters on the video are divided. One person claimed, “This was the beginning of the end for this country.” Another wrote, “I spend more money in pubs and restaurants now than I did when you could smoke anywhere.”
But many others supported the ban. “As a smoker, I’m glad they banned it indoors. I never even smoke inside my own home — it’s disgusting,” one said.
Another user added, “The smoking ban gave rise to the ‘cheeky fag break’ — the working gal’s intermission if you will.”
Some even credited the rule change with helping people socialize more. “You make so many new friends in the smoking area,” one person noted.
With the vape ban just around the corner, many are reflecting on how much smoking culture — and public opinion — has shifted since 2007. While some mourn the past, others are thankful for the cleaner air and clearer lungs.
