Save our shisha bars!
9 September 2024
SUGGESTED
Labour Market
In the Media
Tax and Fiscal Policy
19 November 2024
Reem Ibrahim writes for Spiked
IEA Acting Director of Communications Reem Ibrahim has written for Spiked on the Government’s crackdown on outdoor smoking and the impact on shisha lounges across Britain.
Reem wrote:
“London’s Edgware Road is usually buzzing with people enjoying shisha with friends and family, often alongside a warm cup of mint tea or Turkish coffee. The street is renowned for its vast array of Middle Eastern restaurants and shisha cafés, where lightly flavoured smoke wafts through the air, and the clinking of non-alcoholic drinks can be overheard among civilised conversation between loved ones after a day of work.
Shisha bars were hit hard by the 2007 smoking ban, although many venues adapted to the new rules as best they could. Under Keir Starmer’s proposed outdoor smoking ban, this entire culture would be rendered criminal. Across the country, shisha lounges and cafés are facing complete extinction.”
You can read Reem’s full piece here.
Reem wrote:
“London’s Edgware Road is usually buzzing with people enjoying shisha with friends and family, often alongside a warm cup of mint tea or Turkish coffee. The street is renowned for its vast array of Middle Eastern restaurants and shisha cafés, where lightly flavoured smoke wafts through the air, and the clinking of non-alcoholic drinks can be overheard among civilised conversation between loved ones after a day of work.
Shisha bars were hit hard by the 2007 smoking ban, although many venues adapted to the new rules as best they could. Under Keir Starmer’s proposed outdoor smoking ban, this entire culture would be rendered criminal. Across the country, shisha lounges and cafés are facing complete extinction.”
You can read Reem’s full piece here.
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