Ban on smoking in cars with children is a betrayal of Conservative values

I have written a response to the article by Bob Blackman MP that was published by ConservativeHome on Friday.

According to the MP for Harrow East, a ban on smoking in cars carrying children represents true Conservative values.

As a Conservative voter all my adult life, I begged to differ:

Yes, Conservative values include a strong element of paternalism; and, yes, we need laws to protect children from serious harm or abuse, but a ban on smoking in cars carrying children is not one of them.

I also objected to his extraordinary attempt to invoke the spirit of Thatcherism.

Blackman wrote:

‘We have a duty to protect the most vulnerable members of our society’. This principle is central to true Conservative values now, just it was when these very words appeared in Margaret Thatcher’s 1983 election manifesto …

I replied:

Yes, we have a duty to protect the most vulnerable members of society but I don’t think banning smoking in cars with children was what Mrs Thatcher or her government had in mind. Does anyone honestly think she would have wasted parliamentary time and taxpayers’ money introducing and enforcing such an intrusive law when there are far more important issues to address?

I also had to inform readers of ConservativeHome (because he didn't do it himself) that Blackman is secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health which is run by ... ASH!

Full article: Bob Blackman is wrong. We don't need a smoking ban in cars to protect children. You can comment.