British Health Secretary Victoria Atkins has said ‘there is no liberty in addiction’, in defence of government plans to ban anyone born after 2009 from buying cigarettes.
This and other measures came a step closer this week, with MPs voting 383 to 67 in favour of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
According to the BBC, the measures are championed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, though they face opposition from several leading Tory figures, including two ex-Prime Ministers.
Former prime minister Liz Truss voted against the Bill, arguing that it would limit personal freedom.
Last week, ex-prime minster Boris Johnson called the smoking ban ‘absolutely nuts’, adding: ‘When the party of Winston Churchill wants to ban cigars, donnez-moi un break, as they say in Quebec … it’s just mad.’
Speaking in the House of Commons, Health Secretary Atkins said the plan would create a ‘smoke-free generation’.
Conservative MPs were given a free vote on the Bill, meaning they were not ordered to vote with the government. In total, 178 Tory MPs voted to support the plan, with 57 against, including Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Conservative Party Deputy Chair Jonathan Gullis.
However, full support by Labour’s front bench ensured that the measures passed.
The BBC reports that Labour’s shadow health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting, accused Sunak of ‘putting the Bill at risk’ by granting a free vote ‘because he is too weak to stand up to the Liz Truss-wing of his party’.
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.’
There are still several more steps needed before the Bill becomes law, such as voting in the House of Lords, but it is possible that this could happen before the general election, expected in the second half of 2024.