Shocking Pub Footage Sparks Fierce Debate: Was the 2007 Smoking Ban Truly ‘the Beginning of the End’?

So here we are, on the brink of the UK’s disposable vape ban—kind of ironic, isn’t it? Just as we brace ourselves to toss out those single-use vapes set to vanish by June 2025, a fiery debate reignites over something that happened way back in 2007: the original smoking ban. Was it the first domino in a chain reaction that changed pub culture forever, or just a much-needed smackdown on second-hand smoke? With vape use among youngsters climbing from 14% in 2020 to nearly 20% in 2023, and environmental concerns driving the new ban, it’s clear the battle over blowing smoke is far from over. Meanwhile, vintage pub footage and TikTok musings have bubbled to the surface, reminding us how one rule out the door meant millions of smokers became impromptu weather watchers outside bars. Is this the “beginning of the end” or just a cheeky pause in the grand saga of tobacco and tech? If you’re curious how history, habits, and health collide in this smoky saga, dive deeper here: LEARN MORE

Just days until the disposable vape ban comes into force in the UK, it seems people have started arguing over whether the 2007 smoking ban was a good idea.

It comes after the government’s decision to ban the sale and supply of single-use vapes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1 June 2025.

The ban on disposable vapes aims to address environmental waste concerns and to stop young people from vaping.

According to Action on Smoking and Health, the proportion of 11 to 17-year-olds who reported using vapes has increased from 14 percent in 2020 to approximately 20 percent in 2023.

Meanwhile, some are now claiming that the 2007 smoking ban was ‘the beginning of the end’ as footage outside of an old pub has resurfaced.

The 2007 smoking ban was introduced on 1 July of that year (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Over on TikTok, one user has shared an old video by The Guardian in the lead up to the smoking ban.

The indoor ban prohibited smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces, aiming to protect the public from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.

Now, in the short clip taken outside of a pub in London, presenter Bryony Gordon admitted that she is ‘hopelessly, utterly, addicted to smoking’.

But from 1 July of that year, she and every other smoker could only smoke outside.

Gordon also pointed out that she would received a fine of £80 if she was seen stubbing her cigarette on the floor.

Commenting on the video, one person said it was the ‘beginning of the end for this country’.

A second agreed: “I spend more money in pubs and restaurants now than I did when you could smoke anywhere.”

But clearly, others were grateful for the ban, as another person wrote: “As a smoker I am so happy they banned smoking inside, I have my own place and I never smoke in it, it’s disgusting.

“Plus it’s kind of nice to go outside every now and then and get a change of scenery/a break from the chaos.”

“Smoking ban was good cos you make so many new friends in the smoking area,” a fourth person also pointed out.

“I was born four years before the smoking ban so I don’t remember it but i went to a bar where you could smoke in Berlin and (as a smoker) it’s so disgusting,” someone else said.

“Smoking ban gave rise to the cheeky fag break, the working gal’s intermission if you will,” another added.