Nigel Farage has branded smokers the “heroes of the nation in terms of the amount of taxation they pay”, in response to a potential cigarettes ban outside pubs.

The Reform UK leader lit up a Benson and Hedges outside the Westminster Arms shortly before 6pm on Thursday, less than 400m from the Prime Minister’s official residence in Downing Street.

Sir Keir Starmer earlier told reporters the loss of lives because of smoking are “preventable” and that his ministers would “take decisions” on an outdoor cigarettes ban.

According to leaked Whitehall papers, seen by The Sun newspaper, ministers could extend the indoor smoking ban to beer gardens, university and hospital campuses, sports grounds, children’s play areas and small parks.

Taking questions at the pub, Mr Farage told the PA news agency: “You’ll notice very few people drink inside it, they drink outside it.

“Why? Because they’re allowed a smoke outside.

“I’ve been coming here for 30 years, regular basis, every week for 30 years.

“If the Government say that I can’t have a drink and a smoke outside, I won’t come back.

“And I’m one of hundreds of regular customers of this pub that take that view.

“And look, you know, I do understand that people in enclosed areas didn’t like smoke, but you’ve got the option now – you can be inside, you can be outside, you can avoid it if you want to.

“I don’t think the Government have thought through the consequences of this.

“Are we really going to be smoke-free by 2030? Well, let me ask another question – are we going to be drug-free by 2030?

“What the Government’s doing is attacking something that’s legal because it’s given up on attacking the illegal drugs trade, but if you tax tobacco too heavily, which we’re doing, if you regulate and almost ban people from smoking anywhere, what you do is you drive it into the hands of the criminals.”

Mr Farage claimed that in Australia “cigarettes now are sold under the counter, massive criminal gangs are behind” the smoking trade.

According to the Australian Taxation Office, the Canberra-based bureau has agreed to hike tobacco excise and excise-equivalent customs duty by an additional 5% per year for three years, starting in September last year, in addition to ordinary index-linked rises.

The previous Conservative government had suggested a cigarettes ban for anybody turning 15 this year, or younger.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would have made it an offence for shopkeepers to sell tobacco or herbal smoking products, or cigarette papers, to anybody born after January 1 2009, and it had almost cleared the House of Commons before Rishi Sunak called the General Election in May.

Labour suggested reviving those proposals as part of the King’s Speech in July.

“A Bill will be introduced to progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes and impose limits on the sale and marketing of vapes,” Charles told peers and MPs in the House of Lords.

Mr Farage said: “This is not just the Labour Party.

“I mean, this is the political class saying, you know, ‘We know what’s best for you, you must do what we tell you to do’.

“Rishi Sunak’s plans were completely mad that in 10 years’ time a 25-year-old could buy a smoke and 24-year-old couldn’t.”

Asked about the cost of smoking to the NHS, the MP for Clacton in Essex replied: “Well, the last time I looked at it, tobacco revenues were four to five times the cost of the NHS annually.

“So there’s no economic argument.

“In fact, you could argue that smokers are the heroes of the nation in terms of the amount of taxation they pay.”

Asked about plans for a smoking ban on a visit to Paris, where he attended the Paralympics 2024 opening ceremony, Sir Keir said: “I think it’s important to get the balance right, but everybody watching this who uses the NHS will know that it’s on its knees.

“We have to relieve the burden, and that’s why I spoke before the election about moving to a preventative model when it comes to health.”

The Prime Minister added: “My starting point on this is to remind everyone that over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking. That’s a preventable death.

“It’s a huge burden on the NHS, and, of course, it’s a burden on the taxpayer. So, yes, we are going to take decisions in this space.

“More details will be revealed, but this is a preventable series of deaths, and we’ve got to take the action to reduce the burden on the NHS and reduce the burden on the taxpayer.”

According to the charity Action on Smoking and Health, in the year following the introduction of English smoke-free laws in 2007, there was a 2.4% reduction in hospital admissions for heart attacks, saving the NHS £8.4 million in their first year.