Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban bill passes first hurdle despite cabinet opposition
Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban has passed its first parliamentary hurdle despite opposition from within his cabinet – as Labour backed the bill.
Mr Sunak wants to raise the legal age to buy cigarettes annually in a bid to phase out the habit, as well as restrict the sales of vaping products.
The proposals would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after 1 January 2009 – with the prime minister hoping to create a “smoke-free” generation.
Conservative MPs were given a free vote in the Commons this evening, meaning they were allowed to oppose the government if they wished without facing repercussions.
The House of Commons voted in favour of the plan by 383 votes to 67.
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There was a sizeable Tory rebellion and a significant number of abstentions.
Kemi Badenoch, the business and trade secretary and a former leadership contender, said she would not support the legislation before the vote.
Ms Badenoch – who has also been tipped to run to replace Mr Sunak if he loses the next election – said on social media that while she agrees with the plan’s intentions, giving adults “born a day apart… permanently different rights” is an issue with the policy – as is the practicality of asking businesses to enforce it.
Other ministers who voted against the bill included Andrew Griffith, Steve Baker, Julia Lopez, Lee Rowley and Alex Burghart, as well as Conservative deputy chair Jonathan Gullis.
In total, 57 Conservative MPs voted against Mr Sunak’s plans, with 106 abstaining.
One such abstention was Anne Marie-Trevelyan, a Foreign Office minister, who said ahead of time that she would not support the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Another was Commons leader – and another party leadership hopeful – Penny Mordaunt.
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick was one of those former ministers who signalled beforehand his intention to vote against the government’s proposed smoking ban.
“I believe in personal freedom,” he posted on X. “Let’s educate more and ban less.”
Other senior Conservatives – like former prime minister Liz Truss, former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and former home secretary Suella Braverman – all said before the vote they did not support the bill, and they all voted against it.
Another former Tory prime minister, Boris Johnson, has also criticised the plan – calling it “mad” and “nuts”.
Labour MPs were whipped to support the prime minister’s plans, with shadow health secretary Wes Streeting speaking in support of the policy in the Commons debate ahead of the vote.
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Ms Truss was one of the Conservatives leading the charge against the bill. Pic: AP
The arguments within the Conservative Party centred around whether the ban impinged on civil liberties at the cost of health.
Some, like current Health Secretary Victoria Atkins and former office holder Sajid Javid, said smoking removes choice as young people get addicted and cannot choose to stop – before noting the high costs to the NHS caused by smokers.
Smoking kills about 80,000 people a year and costs the NHS and the economy an estimated £17bn annually.
The other side of the argument – put forward by former prime minister Ms Truss – said the bill would limit people’s freedoms, and trying to protect people from themselves is problematic, before warning of potential further bans on products like alcohol and sugar.
Mr Sunak announced his plans at his party’s conference in Manchester last year, saying it would mean someone aged 14 would “never legally be sold a cigarette and that they and their generation can grow up smoke-free”.
On vapes, he stated his desire to restrict the way they are marketed, including looking at flavours, packaging displays and disposable vapes.
At the time, a similar plan for a rising smoking age ban in New Zealand was touted as an example for the UK to follow – but this restriction was scrapped before it came into force in the country.
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Today marked the second reading of the smoking bill, and so the first time the whole House of Commons voted on it.
It will now be considered and potentially amended by MPs, before also going through scrutiny in the House of Lords.
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Politics
Row over how many farms will be affected by inheritance tax policy – as PM doubles down ahead of farmers protest
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the “vast majority of farmers” will not be affected by changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT) ahead of a protest outside parliament on Tuesday.
It follows Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing a 20% inheritance tax that will apply to farms worth more than £1m from April 2026, where they were previously exempt.
But the prime minister looked to quell fears as he resisted calls to change course.
Speaking from the G20 summit in Brazil, he said: “If you take a typical case of a couple wanting to pass a family farm down to one of their children, which would be a very typical example, with all of the thresholds in place, that’s £3m before any inheritance tax is paid.”
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The comments come as thousands of farmers, including celebrity farmer Jeremy Clarkson, are due to descend on Whitehall on Tuesday to protest the change.
And 1,800 more will take part in a “mass lobby” where members of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) will meet their MPs in parliament to urge them to ask Ms Reeves to reconsider the policy.
Speaking to broadcasters, Sir Keir insisted the government is supportive of farmers, pointing to a £5bn investment announced for them in the budget.
He said: “I’m confident that the vast majority of farms and farmers will not be affected at all by that aspect of the budget.
“They will be affected by the £5bn that we’re putting into farming. And I’m very happy to work with farmers on that.”
Sir Keir’s spokesman made a similar argument earlier on Monday, saying the government expects 73% of farms to not be affected by the change.
Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs Secretary Steve Reed said only about 500 out of the UK’s 209,000 farms would be affected, according to Treasury calculations.
However, that number has been questioned by several farming groups and the Conservatives.
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Farming industry is feeling ‘betrayed’ – NFU boss
Government figures ‘misleading’
The NFU said the real number is about two-thirds, with its president Tom Bradshaw calling the government’s figures “misleading” and accusing it of not understanding the sector.
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said the policy could affect 70,000 farms.
Conservative shadow farming minister Robbie Moore accused the government last week of “regurgitating” figures that represent “past claimants of agricultural property relief, not combined with business property relief” because he said the Treasury does not have that data.
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Welsh farmers carried out a protest outside the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno, North Wales, over the weekend
Agricultural property relief (APR) currently provides farmers 100% relief from paying inheritance tax on agricultural land or pasture used for rearing livestock or fish, and can include woodland and buildings, such as farmhouses, if they are necessary for that land to function.
Farmers can also claim business property relief (BPR), providing 50% or 100% relief on assets used by a trading business, which for farmers could include land, buildings, plant or machinery used by the business, farm shops and holiday cottages.
APR and BPR can often apply to the same asset, especially farmed land, but APR should be the priority, however BPR can be claimed in addition if APR does not cover the full value (e.g. if the land has development value above its agricultural value).
APR and BPR can apply to farmland, which the Conservatives say has been overlooked by the Treasury in compiling its impact figures. File pic: iStock
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Mr Moore said the Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Treasury have disagreed on how many farms will be impacted “by as much as 40%” due to the lack of data on farmers using BPR.
Lib Dem MP Tim Farron said last week1,400 farmers in Cumbria, where he is an MP, will be affected and will not be able to afford to pay the tax as many are on less than the minimum wage despite being asset rich.
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