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UKIP Scotland pledges smoking ban repeal
By Kristiane SherryAs part of its Scotland Manifesto 2016, Eurosceptic political party UKIP has vowed to repeal the smoking ban and increase the drink driving limit to “save the Scottish pub”.
Nigel Farage unveiled UKIP Scotland’s manifesto yesterdayAccording to UKIP (UK Independence Party), both the lower drink drive limit and the smoking ban have “pushed people away from their local and into the supermarkets to buy cheap alcohol”.
The party has pledged to reverse the “disastrous” smoking ban which it claims has led to an increase in “smoking at home in front of children”.
In addition, the party says the ban has resulted in a “reduction in people meeting face-to-face, adversely affecting society in a negative manner”.
The smoking ban, which made it an offence to smoke in any wholly or substantially enclosed public space in Scotland, came into force in Scotland on 26 March 2006.
UKIP has also pledged to increase Scotland’s drink drive limit from 50mg or 80mg per 100ml of blood, in line with the rest of the UK.
“Having a varied limit makes no sense and 80mg is low enough to deter reckless behaviour”, the manifesto reads.
Party leader Nigel Farage announced the plans yesterday (7 April) ahead of the 5 May Scottish elections, when it will field 26 candidates.
In 2016, Farage called for a “mass protest” over new alcohol guidelines in the UK that claim there is no safe level of drinking.