Alex Cunningham’s Private Members’ Bill to ban smoking in cars with children came to a shuddering halt in Parliament this afternoon.
A lone voice shouting 'Object' was enough to stop the Bill from proceeding any further. There was no debate and no vote.
The good news is that the cry came from the Government benches and we believe it was from a Government Whip.
Like a bad smell the Bill won't go away just yet, however. It is tabled for another Second Reading on Friday January 20 but the odds are it will be ‘Objected’ to again.
Meanwhile it slips further down the list of backbench Bills, which means it has little or no chance of progressing.