Children and Families Bill hijacked by political expediency

Smokers face a double whammy this week.

On Wednesday in the House of Lords peers will debate amendments to the Children and Families Bill.

As you know, the Government has introduced an amendment that would enable it to introduce standardised packaging of tobacco without the need for separate legislation.

There is no guarantee that plain packs will be implemented because the arguments - and the evidence - are still bring evaluated. Should Number Ten choose to do so, however, the legislation could be triggered at any time.

Forest - together with many other organisations, I'm sure - has been busy sending briefing notes to peers ahead of Wednesday's debate but the outcome is fairly predictable.

The situation probably calls for ASH's famous Smoke and mirrors "confidence trick" but I'm finding it hard to be as optimistic or as cynical, depending on your point of view.

Anyway, it gets worse.

Today (H/T Sheila) the Sunday Times reports that Labour will try to pass another amendment to the Children and Families Bill that will ban smoking in cars with children.

We briefed peers on this issue last year and thought we had won the argument, or a stay of execution.

The worst thing is, neither amendment has anything to do with public health. It's politics, pure and simple.

The Government was concerned the Children and Families Bill was being hijacked by supporters of plain packs led by Labour so it introduced its own amendment to avoid an embarrassing 'defeat'.

Labour, in response, is trying to regain the political high ground with its amendment on smoking in cars.

It will be interesting to see how the Government responds. Will they instruct Conservative and Lib Dem peers to vote against Labour's amendment, will they be given a free vote (unlike the plain packaging amendment) or will the Government introduce its own smoking in cars amendment?

Extraordinary how a bill designed to protect children from a fate far worse than exposure to cigarette packs and ETS has been hijacked by Government and Opposition for reasons of political expediency.

Anyway, no peace for the wicked. I shall now spend the rest of the day working on yet another briefing note in the hope that some peers will reject this pathetic posturing.

PS. On reflection I may just send Tory peers my Conservative Home article, published last year - Bob Blackman is wrong. We don’t need a smoking ban in cars to protect children.

I could also send them Forest's submission opposing a previous smoking in cars amendment to the Children and Families Bill.

See also: Amendment to ban smoking in cars with children is withdrawn.

They never give up, do they?