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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Kemi Badenoch accuses Sir Keir Starmer of ‘lying’ about Peter Mandelson prior to sacking him
Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “lying to the whole country” about what he knew regarding Peter Mandelson’s correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein.
Lord Mandelson was this week stripped of his position as ambassador to the US amid fresh scrutiny over his years-long friendship with the convicted paedophile.
The prime minister initially defended the Labour peer but removed him from his post on Thursday after newly seen emails revealed he sent messages of support to Epstein even as he faced jail for sex offences in 2008.
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Lord Mandelson – the unanswered questions
The Times has now reported that Downing Street and the Foreign Office were aware of the emails on Tuesday – a day before Sir Keir gave Lord Mandelson his backing at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).
In a post on X, Conservative leader Ms Badenoch wrote: “Looks like the Prime Minister and Labour MPs spent the week lying to the whole country about what they knew regarding Mandelson’s involvement with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.”
She continued: “If No 10 had those emails for 48 hours before acting, it means he lied at PMQs and ministers lied again about new additional information. These are yet more errors of judgment.
“The Prime Minister has very serious questions to answer. The only way to clear this up is full transparency about who knew what, and when.”
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Sources said Sir Keir was not aware of the contents of the emails when he told MPs he had “confidence” in Lord Mandelson.
A media enquiry outlining details of the messages between Lord Mandelson and Epstein was sent to the Foreign Office on Tuesday, and passed on to Number 10.
Sir Oliver Robbins, the permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, asked Lord Mandelson about the emails on Tuesday, but did not receive a response until the following day.
Sir Keir is understood not to have been aware of the contents of the emails until Wednesday evening.
Speaking to Sky News, one Labour MP has called for more information on what happened behind closed doors at No 10 this week.
Jo White, MP for Bassetlaw, in Nottinghamshire, said: “We cannot move on until we find out how he [Sir Keir] was not briefed properly before PMQs.”
“What he needs to do now is get on top and sort out this mess,” she said. “Suspend the whip from Peter Mandelson and expel him from the party, then have a transparent enquiry about what went wrong at No.10.”
This came as Sir Keir enjoyed some time away from Downing Street.
The prime minister was on Saturday pictured watching Arsenal face Nottingham Forest in a Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal fan Sir Keir cheered on his side as they won 3-0. Pic: Reuters
Lord Mandelson’s exit came after less than a fortnight after another high-profile loss for the Labour government, as Angela Rayner was forced to quit as deputy prime minister and deputy Labour leader over her tax affairs.
As Sir Keir has faced a scandal-hit start to the month, a growing number of Labour MPs have begun calling his leadership into question.
Read more from Sky News:
Mandelson’s exit leaves Trump visit in the lurch
What we know about Mandelson-Epstein relationship
Lucy Powell, who is running to replace Ms Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader, has called for a “change of culture” at Downing Street.
“We’ve got a bit of a groupthink happening at the top, that culture of not being receptive to interrogation, not being receptive to differing views,” she told The Guardian newspaper.
Meanwhile, senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry has written to the new foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, demanding answers about the vetting process for UK diplomats in the wake of Lord Mandelson’s sacking.
A man has admitted arson after a major fire at an MP’s constituency office.
Joshua Oliver, 28, pleaded guilty to starting the fire which destroyed the office of Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, at Vermont House in Washington, Tyne and Wear.
The fire also wrecked a small charity for people with very rare genetic diseases and an NHS mental health service for veterans.
The guilty plea was entered at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on the basis that it was reckless rather than intentional.
Hodgson, who has been an MP since 2005, winning her seat again in 2019. Pic: Reuters
The Crown did not accept that basis of plea.
Oliver, of no fixed address, had been living in a tent nearby, the court heard.
Northumbria Police previously said it was “alerted to a fire at a premises on Woodland Terrace in the Washington area” shortly after 12.20am on Thursday.
“Emergency services attended and no one is reported to have been injured in the incident,” it added.
Drone footage from the scene showed extensive damage to the building.
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A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.
“We have worked closely with Northumbria Police as they carried out their investigation.”
Oliver was remanded in custody and will appear at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday, 14 October.
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