A Bolton boozer has barred Prime Minister Keir Starmer after he refused to rule out a ban on smoking in beer gardens.

The Griffin’s landlord, Anthony Kimmings, and landlady, Paula Crompton, are outraged at the proposals which they believe could kill their pub.

Labour is considering the ruling to relieve the “burden” smoking-related illnesses put on the NHS, it would extend to small parks, and areas outside hospitals, nightclubs and sports venues.

Paula said: “We don’t do food, we’re a wet pub, more than half of the customers that come in here smoke.

“If they can’t go out into the beer garden, they won’t come in.

“We’re losing our pub culture as it is, where are they going to go for a cigarette?”

(Image: NQ) Despite her passionate defence of smoking, Paula isn’t one herself, she added: “It would be the final nail in the coffin for pubs like this.

“The way  he’s going, making all our pensioners cold this winter, for my money it’s not the way forward.”

When asked what she’d do if the Prime Minister entered her pub, Paula said: “She’d chuck him out.”

Labour’s election-winning 2024 manifesto pledged preventative public health measures, and policy makers said their quest for “longer, healthier lives… starts with smoking”.

The manifesto read: “Labour will ensure the next generation can never legally buy cigarettes and ensure all hospitals integrate ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation interventions into routine care. Labour will ban vapes from being branded and advertised to appeal to children to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.”

Authorities in England, Northern Ireland and Wales banned indoor smoking in 2007, with Scottish authorities bringing in a ban the previous year.

The laws apply to enclosed workplaces, public buildings and public transport, which includes pubs. Ministers gained powers to ban smoking in private cars in 2014, particularly where a person under the age of 18 is in the vehicle.