<P> A legal blunder by Stoke - on - Trent City Council meant that, while the smoking ban still applied in the city, the council were unable to issue fines to people caught flouting the law until 16 July 2007 . The blunder caused the city to briefly be dubbed Smoke - on - Trent . </P> <P> A group calling themselves "Freedom To Choose", launched a campaign for a judicial review of the smoke - free workplace regulations claiming a breach of the Human Rights Act 1998, as it does not respect the right to privacy of people who wish to smoke in public . Supporters of the regulations put forward counter-arguments positing that the rights of smokers to indulge in their habit cease as soon as it negatively affects other people in the vicinity . In 2010 pub landlord Nick Hogan was jailed for an offence related to the smoking ban . In 2012 it was reported that "Five years after the introduction of the smoking ban in England, almost seven out of 10 licensees want the legislation amended to allow for separate smoking rooms in pubs". </P>

When was smoking banned in the house of commons