Earlier this year I reported on the astonishing claim from Home Office Minister Gillian Merron, flying in the face of all the evidence, that the smoking ban had not resulted in any pub closures. So it was very gratifying to see her lose her Lincoln seat in Thursday’s General Election, with a swing of 5.9% to the Conservatives. Her share of the vote fell by no less than 8.5 percentage points. Having delighted in forcing millions of pubgoers out into the cold, she is now enjoying a taste of her own medicine.
On a related note, Frank Davis reckons that Cameron could have gained enough seats for an overall majority had he promised to amend the smoking ban.