Boris in smoking ban row

The Tory mayoral candidate triggered criticism when he declared he wanted an "online referendum" to give Londoners a say on whether they wanted the ban overturned.

But Mr Johnson came under further fire when it was revealed that he had pocketed "between £5,000 and £10,000" for a speech to the Association of Tobacco last year. The payment is listed in the MPs' Register of Interests for June 2007.

Mr Johnson's new policy was revealed in an online webchat with The Sun today.

When asked if he was still against the smoking ban in pubs and clubs and what he planned to do about it, he replied: "What is the point of having local democracy if we don't leave decisions like this to a local level?

"If I had my way, we would have an online referendum in London about whether to give boroughs back the power to give discretion over smoking to pubs and clubs."

But as his opponents seized on the new policy, Mr Johnson issued a new statement pointing out that he now believed that London's pubs and clubs were a better place becasue of the smoke-free policy.

His campaign also said that an important caveat had been cut from The Sun website. He had made clear that he would only offer a referendum if he had the power to do so.

"Personally I do not like smoking and believe that pubs and clubs are better places since the ban came in. My point was that I believe laws like the smoking ban should have been decided at a local level rather than a national level. This is entirely consistent with my previous stance on the subject," Mr Johnson's statement said.

"It is not within the power of the Mayor to have a referendum, nor am I lobbying for the power to grant one."

Ken Livingstone said: "Boris Johnson's minders are again desperately scrabbling to conceal his real positions. The smoking ban represents one of the biggest health improvements we have seen, and Boris Johnson's admission that he wants to give boroughs the power to overturn the ban on smoking to pubs and clubs, shows he is hopelessly out of touch to be the Mayor of a modern, forward looking city like London.

"It is made even worse by the fact that it follows a donation from a tobacco group. The smoking ban has been hugely successful and is very popular with Londoners."

Liberal Democrat candidate Brian Paddick said: "First of all Boris Johnson says that he will overturn the smoking ban. Then he issues a press release denying that he ever meant what he said. Johnson continues to drop himself in it and his team have to follow him with a bucket and shovel.

"How can Londoners trust someone who has received money from the tobacco industry to be objective about the smoking ban? Most Londoners agree with this initiative. There are two possible explanations for Boris wanting to overturn it: either he is out of touch with Londoners or he is in the pocket of the tobacco industry."

The Boris Johnson campaign said that he "was engaged to deliver a speech to the Tobacco Association on June 20th 2007 as part of his JLA Speakers Agency work".

Mayor Livingstone is himself listed with a Speakers Agency, it added.