Fighting talk

Spent an enjoyable afternoon yesterday discussing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill with various interested parties.

The desire to fight the Bill was palpable and I came away feeling unusually positive, even though the odds are stacked against us.

As for the report stage and third reading of the Bill in the House of Commons, there is still no news, officially at least.

The two stages normally take place on the same day, but the rumoured date has not been confirmed and I don’t want to spread what could be false information so I’ll keep it to myself.

Report stage and third reading are important because we anticipate a slew of amendments that MPs will debate and either accept or reject.

Thereafter the Bill will move to the House of Lords but given the two-week Easter recess, followed by a further break for the early May bank holiday, it could be some time before the Bill is debated in the upper house.

Yesterday there was plenty of speculation concerning the progress of the Bill, but no consensus. All I can say is, the battle is far from over.