Good evening. Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed the Government is considering a ban on smoking in pub gardens.
Elsewhere, Ed Miliband has bowed to Greenpeace by refusing to fight a climate lawsuit.
If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here.
Starmer: Ban on smoking in pub gardens could reduce burden on NHS
Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that the Government is considering a ban on smoking in pub gardens as well as other outdoor areas like open-air spaces at nightclubs. While the Prime Minister has said the move would lower the number of preventable deaths, critics have branded the policy “authoritarian” – including Nigel Farage, who will “not go to the pub ever again” if restrictions are imposed.
Miliband deals ‘final blow’ to North Sea oil after siding with Greenpeace
The Energy Secretary is refusing to fight a climate lawsuit brought against two of Britain’s biggest North Sea oil schemes, saying he will not resist legal challenges against licences issued for the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields.
Islamic Jihad chief killed by Israeli special forces in mosque shootout
Special forces killed Muhhamad Jabber, also known as Abu Shujaa, during a second consecutive day of operations in the city of Tulkarm on Thursday morning.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Jabber, who was the head of Islamic Jihad’s network in Nur Shams, was involved in carrying out “numerous terror attacks, including a shooting attack in which an Israeli civilian, Amnon Muchtar, was murdered in June”.
