The fight goes on
Friday, May 24, 2024 at 8:45 It appears I may have been premature with my previous post.
At the time of writing (early yesterday morning) I was convinced that having included the generational smoking ban on its list of ‘achievements’ in a social media post, the Government was unlikely to allow the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to die.
The PM even claimed to have ensured a smoke free generation in the speech he gave in the rain outside Number Ten on Wednesday afternoon.
My assumption, shared by others, was that the Bill would be rushed through as part of the wash up process before Parliament is dissolved on May 30.
Instead, shortly after noon yesterday, reports suggested that Rishi’s flagship bill was, ironically, one of several victims of his sudden and unexpected announcement of a general election on July 4.
Sure enough, when the leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, announced the bills that would become law before the election, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill was noticeable by its absence.
Within minutes it was being reported, by the BBC, that ‘Rishi Sunak's smoking ban bill [was] set to be shelved due to election’.
The FT went further - ‘Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban will not become law before the general election, the Commons leader Penny Mordaunt has confirmed’.
Confirmed? Not quite.
On Radio 4 the World At One said the Bill was “not shelved yet” and negotiations (with opposition parties) were “ongoing”, while on Times Radio Sir Peter Riddell, the former director of the Institute for Government, said that while it was his “hunch” that the Bill would be dropped, he could be proved wrong.
Subsequent reports also hedged their bets. According to the Press Association:
The future of Rishi Sunak’s flagship Bill banning young people from ever being able to smoke tobacco legally is in doubt after it was not mentioned among the final business in the House of Commons ahead of the General Election.
Supporters of the legislation, meanwhile, were given renewed hope when the Guardian (who else?) claimed:
Ministers could yet resuscitate the bill at the last minute with an emergency statement before Friday afternoon but otherwise it will be up to the next government to re-introduce the smoking ban in a fresh bill.
However, I’ve just been told by a good source that the Bill is definitely dead, which is welcome news.
The incoming Labour government will no doubt resuscitate the generational ban but it would be nice to think that what’s left of the Tory party in the Commons will, under a new leader, oppose the policy.
Either way, the fight goes on.
Update: UK's Sunak confirms anti-smoking plan will not become law before election (Reuters)
Reader Comments (4)
If the Tories want to win the next election, they need a strong leader, not a vain inglorious knee jerk puppet of anti smoker lobbyists, who will tackle issues of importance to the electorate. If the Tories dump the plan to infantilise all adults in future, and get on with the serious business of sorting out the country's many bigger problems, then they would get my vote back.
Stick with the Nannying nonsense and what difference does it make whether we get a Nanny Labour Government or a Nanny Tory government. Any government that wastes its time on trivia rather than major issues of real concern, are not worth the waste of ink at the ballot box.
It's comical that the fewer smokers there are the more they seem to cost the economy according to the anti-smoking industry. They told us if businesses introduce separate inside smoking areas it will save the economy x amount of money. Then they said, actually, their mistake, their last policy was actually costing the economy x money but , not to worry, if businesses make people smoke outside buildings then that would save a ton of money and so they banned smoking in pubs. Now , they are telling us that that was a mistake because actually it is damaging the economy even more than their last policy, so we now need to accept their next tranche of policies and that definitely will save the economy money this time unlike all their other policies have cost the economy billions. The anti-smoking industry certainly know how to drive up costs and give the impression that they are doing the opposite. They should do a tour of the comedy circuit!
As a smoker myself, yes i have cut it right down & smoke herbal cbd ones as i am in pain. but i am nearly 70. so am being very careful. I am sad as so many pubs are closed as smokers have been thrown out. If Adults want to smoke, we should be allowed with in our rights. Yes i agree about children, but let their parents talk to them , not a Nanny government. . thank you
I'm happy that Sunak's bill has not yet passed. There is room for hope. Thank you Simon for keeping us updated. In 1985 the CDC (U.S.) said smoking kills 390K. Now that the smoking rate is half that, the CDC give the number at 480K.
Cambridge Citizens for Smokers' Rights (U.S.)