Tobacco smoking could be banned in town- and city-centers in Wales if Mark Drakeford succeeds in becoming the next first minister, according to a story at bbc.com.
The Welsh Labour leadership candidate has included the plan in his manifesto for the contest.
Drakeford wants also to ban smoking in outdoor areas of cafés and restaurants.
Smoking was banned in enclosed public places in Wales in 2007. It is now banned in cars where children are present. And it is set to be banned in the grounds of schools and hospitals next summer.
Wales would become the only part of the UK to ban smoking in city centres if the Drakeford proposals were implemented.
Drakeford, considered to be the favourite to win the Welsh labour leadership election, tried to legislate for a partial ban on electronic cigarettes in 2016, but the law was binned after members of Plaid Cymru withdrew their support.
His manifesto proposes to ‘extend [the] smoking ban to outdoor areas of cafés and restaurants and city and town centres’.
“It is very important that we press ahead with reducing the level of smoking here in Wales,” Drakeford reportedly told BBC Wales.
But he denied he would want to ban tobacco smoking outright.
“We already have bans on smoking on beaches in parts of Wales,” he said. “This is a proposal to take this further.”
Meanwhile, the UKIP assembly leader Gareth Bennett was quoted as saying: “As health minister, Mr Drakeford led a crusade against vapers, and now he wants to hit smokers by a ludicrous ban on people lighting up in outdoor places such as cafés.”
"Ludicrous" ban proposed
