LEADING restaurateurs have joined forces with private clubs, theatres and publicans to fight a backdoor attempt to introduce a smoking ban.

There was a last-minute rush yesterday to lodge formal objections against two Bills that would prohibit smoking in all workplaces in London and Liverpool. If enacted, the legislation, which has already passed its first reading in the Lords, would outlaw smoking in all workplaces, including offices, factories, pubs, restaurants, taxis and lorry cabs.

Actors and actresses would not be able to smoke on the West End stage and cigar clubs would be forced to shut their doors. The proprietor of a business on whose premises the ban was breached could be fined up to £5,000. A smoker caught breaking the law would be liable to a fixed-penalty fine.

The Prohibition of Smoking in Places of Work Bills go far beyond the limited ban put forward by the Government in its Public Health White Paper last year. The proposals from John Reid, the Health Secretary, would allow smoking in private clubs and pubs that do not serve food.

A group of 50 restaurateurs — including Antony Worrall Thompson and Roy Ackerman — has placed a petition against the Bills. “Our position is that people must have freedom of choice,” Richard Shepherd, of Langan’s Brasserie, said. “If an establishment installs ventilation and extraction systems or has a no-smoking area, then what is the problem? “It is my restaurant, my business, my investment, my money and no one is going to compensate me if a smoking ban hits my trade.”

Ranald McDonald, of Boisdale, which offers the largest selection of Cuban cigars of any restaurant in Europe, said that a ban would alter his business. “We are not a public place. If this draconian piece of legislation is passed we would have to rethink dramatically the way we operate.”

The Society of London Theatre lodged its objection shortly before the deadline closed at 5pm yesterday. Private members’ clubs, including the Groucho and Soho House, are believed to be monitoring the Bills with a view to making representations at a later stage.

The idea for the legislation comes from the Smoke Free Liverpool campaign. The Bills are expected to have their second readings next month before moving to the committee stage.

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