That England became smokefree from 6am on Sunday 1 July, effectively ending smoking in all pubs, restaurants and workplaces is a striking achievement on its own. But it symbolises a new era of health policy.

Not the latest step in a big brother, nanny state, as some critics decry. People remain free to choose to smoke in their own home, in the street or walking the dog. No denial of freedom. But the government is concerned when people share public space and the choice to smoke impacts on the health and wellbeing of others.

That second hand smoke is a killer is an argument we have won. The WHO classify tobacco as a known human carcinogen. That it contains over 4,000 chemicals, many highly toxic, is not disputed. Second hand smoke is bad for children and is known to cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and childhood respiratory disease.

This is the most important public health measure since the Clean Air Act 50 years ago and commands overwhelming public support.

It will bring about a cultural change: smoking will effectively become an outdoor activity, where the adverse health impact is reduced. It will also be the trigger for many people to take the step of giving up smoking. Three out four people in England don’t smoke and over half of smokers say they want to give up. Two million have stopped smoking since 1998, a trend likely to accelerate, with more NHS smoking cessation services available today than ever before.

Ten years ago, a demoralised cash-strapped NHS, lurched from crisis to crisis. The public had lost all confidence in receiving treatment in any reasonable time scale. People faced agonising choices: wait many months or pay for private treatment in a matter of days. The potential of the NHS was incapable of being realised.

Today, our NHS, the world’s most successful publicly funded health system, is showing its 21st century capabilities. Health information at the click of a mouse; a 24 hour NHS Direct helpline, GP appointments within 48 hours, NHS Walk-in centres appearing on high streets; chlamydia testing available from pharmacists and outpatients operations and clinics occurring in neighbourhood health centres.

It is in this context of a better, quicker, more local and more personal NHS that public health policy has come of age.

A hundred and fifty years ago, public health demanded that fresh water and public sanitation replaced open sewers. The post war era demanded healthy diets in a time of crisis and rationing. Today’s challenges, in an era of prosperity and plenty, arise from lifestyle choices. As such Government has a duty to inform the public of the risks and help people to take responsibility for their own health.

Public health has become much more a part of the national conversation. Put simply, if the health risks of smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise and other lifestyle choices are not responded to, the UK faces a health time bomb.

Public support for smokefree legislation is welcome, as is parental support for healthier school meals and fruit in schools. Advice on exercise, diet and reducing obesity finds a ready audience with health trainers on hand to help individuals overcome the barriers to better health.

Today’s NHS must respect people as individuals and support them in making informed choices about their lifestyle and health.

The reach and impact of Labour’s public health policies simply would not have been possible in the crisis-ridden Tory NHS of a decade ago.

Labour’s public health policy has involved leadership, it has taken risks and it has changed attitudes among consumers and businesses. Look at the front of pack labelling in supermarkets or the unit information the drinks industry propose to put on alcohol as signs of the socially responsibility attitudes emerging in the business world.

A pro-active public health agenda taps into growing public demand in an age where access to information is ever increasing. Labour is keeping up with ever-greater public expectations, and the reality that individuals can shape their own health. It is an approach I believe the public will reward with their support.