As expected, Rishi Sunak’s proposal to ban smoking for anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 has won huge support among MPs in the Commons.
Even High Profile Opposition Didn’t Impact Result
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was described as ‘barmy’ by Boris Johnson, and came under criticism from Liz Truss. Several other Tory MPs also voiced concerns over the bill.
Result a Clear Win
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill passed by 383 votes to 67, which drew some surprise online. The Tory MPs were given a free vote on the bill, meaning they didn’t have to vote with the government and were free to vote as they saw fit.
Win Was Expected, Size Was a Surprise
The bill was expected to win the vote, and support from the Labour Party was complete, which helped the size of the win. The biggest surprise was the lack of stiff resistance from the Tory party.
57 Votes Against Sunak’s Bill From Tory MPs
There were 57 Tory votes against the bill, and over 100 abstaining. Reading between the lines, this suggests many Tory MPs likely supported the bill, but not enough to risk their reputation amongst colleagues and constituents.
Abstinence a Passive Resistance
Many commentators will call the abstaining Tory MPs rebels, but in reality it’s more a passive resistance to the proposal. They had free will to vote against it if they were truly against it.
Not All Tories Were Against the Bill
Former health secretary Sajid Javid and Steve Brine, the chair of the health select committee, supported the bill. They said it would relieve pressure on the NHS and free future generations from smoking addictions.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins Supports the Bill
Unsurprisingly given her day job, Atkins said there was “no liberty in addiction. Nicotine robs people of their freedom to choose.”
Atkins Quoted Research on the Topic
She also said, “The vast majority of smokers start when they are young, and three-quarters say that if they could turn back the clock they would not have started.”
Arguments For Freedom, Rather Than Against Smoking
Amongst the criticisms of the bill, the overriding theme wasn’t a defence of smoking, more a defence of freedom of choice. Former minister Sir Jake Berry said, “I want to live in a free society where I am free to make both good and bad decisions.”
Truss Echoes Sentiment
Former Prime Minister, Liz Truss said the proposals were “emblematic of a technocratic establishment in this country that wants to limit people’s freedom”.
Labour Heavily in Support of the Proposal
The shadow health and social secretary Wes Streeting said Sunak was “putting the bill at risk”, allowing his party a free vote, “because he is too weak to stand up to the Liz Truss-wing of his party”.
Labour Committed to Enforcing the Ban
Streeting added, “If we are privileged enough to form the next government, Labour will implement this ban, so young people today are even less likely to smoke than they are to vote Conservative.”
Phased Smoking Ban
If the ban is passed into law, it would raise the legal age for buying cigarettes in England by one year every year, until it covers the entire population. Eventually, only the oldest members of society will be legally allowed to smoke.
Road Still Long Before it Becomes Law
Despite the clear result of this vote, there’s several additional steps the bill must go through until it is passed into law. It will go to committee and be subject to another vote. It’ll be then passed to the House of Lords to go through the same process.
No Major Hiccups Expected
Thanks to the significant Labour support and the positive impact it’ll have on public health, it’s expected that there’s unlikely to be any significant resistance to the bill in either house.
Chance of Bill Becoming Law in 2024
If the bill is pushed through the process quickly, it could be passed into law before the general election in the second half of the year. It’ll be seen by some as a flagship win for Sunak, but almost certainly not enough to save his job.
Finances Will Help Convince Some
Government records show that tax income from tobacco is £10bn, and smoking-related costs to the economy are £17bn. The public purse is stretched, so this will be seen as a huge saving when it comes off.
Oddly Successful Period For Sunak
Rishi Sunak will be in unfamiliar territory right now, with his Rwanda bill and tobacco and vaping bills both being successfully voted on in such a short period of time. It’s a position he won’t be used to during his difficult time in office.
Boost Before Election
It might offer some Tory MPs a tiny glimmer of hope that there’s a chance of a better-than-expected result in the upcoming election. Whilst the result is still almost a foregone conclusion, at least Sunak still has some support.
More Articles Like This…
Broken Britain: 12 Reasons Behind the UK’s Decline
Say the Unsayable: 10 Occasions When Farage Spoke His Mind About Britain
The post Sunak’s Smoking Ban Proposal Wins Huge MP Backing first appeared on Edge Media.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / ComposedPix.