In defence of Thérèse Coffey

The Times, unsurprisingly, has thrown its weight behind further tobacco control measures.

Responding to the new Health Secretary’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for a new tobacco control plan to meet Theresa May’s ‘smoke free 2030’ ambition, the most pompous, self-regarding paper in Britain has published a leading article on the subject.

It’s behind a paywall but the gist of it is in the strapline - the government should not abandon its anti-smoking agenda.

The good news, I suppose, is that the paper hasn’t explicitly endorsed any specific policy, like Javed Khan’s absurd recommendation that the age of sale of tobacco be raised by one year every year until no-one is permitted to buy tobacco legally.

Or the authoritarian idea that smoking bans should be extended to beaches, beer gardens and even social housing.

Nevertheless The Times believes there is ‘significant work to do’ to further reduce smoking rates which can only mean further punitive measures because encouraging more smokers to vape (which is fine) isn’t going to achieve the 2030 target by itself.

But back to the kerfuffle that was prompted by yesterday’s report in the Guardian (Thérèse Coffey to drop smoking action plan, insiders say).

When I wrote about it here I was unaware that Coffey had been interviewed by Nick Ferrari on LBC.

Her response to Ferrari’s probing (it was a one-on-one interview so he was perfectly entitled to play devil’s advocate and ask the questions he did) provoked even more derision.

Sensing they had a good story, LBC stuck with it. Drive time presenter Tom Swarbrick not only led with the issue, interviewing both me and Hazel Cheeseman, deputy CEO of ASH, he also raised the issue with health minister Robert Jenrick when he was interviewed later in the programme.

In 2020, when he was Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jenrick successfully fought off an attempt by the tobacco control lobby to impose a comprehensive ban on smoking in the new licensed pavement areas that were permitted under the emergency Business and Planning Bill.

At one point he even took issue with Manchester Council after the council exercised their right to prohibit smoking completely in the new licensed seating areas, arguing (if I remember) that it was not “in the spirit” of the law.

Yesterday Jenrick gave non-committal answers to Swarbrick’s questions, diplomatically saying the Government was still considering both the Khan review and its options.

His straight bat response was arguably the one Coffey should have adopted with Ferrari. It would certainly have avoided the subsequent fallout but there was something refreshingly honest about her reaction.

It may have been a little naive given the power of the tobacco control lobby and their acolytes in the media but her message was clear - she has other priorities, what she calls her “ABCD: ambulances, backlogs, care and doctors and dentists”.

She even explained why she voted against the ban on smoking in cars with children and didn’t repent, which was brave.

Where she stumbled was in not appearing to know whether smoking in cars carrying children is now banned. Instead her dogged inquisitor had to tell her gently that, yes, it is prohibited.

But while some mocked her apparent ignorance, I again thought she was just being honest, although I admit her responses did give plenty of ammunition to the opposition.

But so what? Isn’t honesty what we crave in politicians? Thérèse Coffey also strikes me as unpretentious and, above all, normal, unlike some of her slick, shiny predecessors.

So forget the headlines and disparaging tweets. Given a fair wind I think most people will relate to her far more than Matt Hancock, for example, or Andrew Lansley or any other health secretary in recent times, most of whom I have long forgotten.

As for her so-called u-turn on tobacco control policy, I would dispute that it’s anything of the sort.

Coffey inherited an unrealistic ‘smoke free’ (sic) target from the last but one prime minister. Why should she or the current government be bound by it? There’s no u-turn on her part.

Likewise, the Khan review may have been commissioned by the last but one health secretary (Sajid Javid) but none of its recommendations have ever been adopted or announced as government policy so, again, where’s the u-turn?

It also seems perfectly reasonable, given the many other challenges she faces as health secretary, that Coffey would prioritise problems in the NHS (waiting times, staffing, availability of beds etc etc) over tobacco control, especially when smoking rates continue to fall without more regulations.

Finally, ASH argues that the public supports further anti-smoking measures. For years though polls not commissioned by have suggested that the public does not consider them a top priority.

Indeed, every time the public has been asked about it the response has been the same.

Given ten issues to prioritise, tackling smoking has always come in the bottom three alongside tackling obesity and alcohol misuse.

Of those, tackling smoking has more often than not been bottom of the list.

By NOT prioritising tobacco control Thérèse Coffey would therefore be far more in tune with public opinion than her opponents in Parliament and public health or today’s Times leader writer.

Whether she sticks to her guns remains to be seen - she wouldn’t be the first health secretary to succumb to the anti-smoking lobby - but I hope she does.

PS. I was on BBC 3 Counties radio this morning discussing this with presenter Jonathan Vernon-Smith who is anti-smoking but always fair in that he gives interviewees plenty of opportunity to respond.

I lost count though of the number of times he said that Forest is funded by the tobacco industry. Really? Who knew?!!

Update: I shall also be speaking to Vanessa Felz on TalkTV shortly at 4.20.

In my experience Vanessa is fairly libertarian but those are often the more difficult interviews because the presenter sometimes tries to over-compensate.

Alternatively they agree with you which is equally discombobulating and there’s a danger you can be drawn into a false sense of security before the better ones pounce and catch you out.

Feltz is one of the best so I’ll have to be on my toes.

Comments

[Pat Nurse]

Good luck Simon and good luck to Teresa Coffey. I am happy to admit I was wrong about her. Sadly, I fear the snobs and bullies in ivory radio towers and political lobby groups using charity status as a front will get their own way as usual.

If Coffey still refuses to be pushed around, despite this campaign by ASH to force her hand, then there is a good chance the Tories will keep the votes of those who respect and support down to earth parties over the red side of that wall.

No one like snobs or bullies.The best thing government could do for the sake of democracy and fair play is kick ASH out of Government which it infiltrated but has no right to be part of. No one voted it in there.

[Jay]

Heard you on Swarbrick, Simon - a robust performance! And - for once - you were allowed to have the last word (I always feel that the person who has the last word leaves in the more powerful position).

I'm liking Therese Coffey - doesn't give a stuff, not afraid to be seen smoking and with a glass of something alcoholic in her hand (cf Dame Sally Davies).

My loathing of ASH continues unabated.