Rishi Sunak's smoking ban clears its first Commons hurdle despite backlash to 'nanny state' plans by top ministers and Tory Right

Rishi Sunak's projected smoking prohibition cleared its archetypal parliamentary hurdle contiguous arsenic MPs voted by 383 to 67 to springiness their backing to the Prime Minister's plans.

The House of Commons this evening overwhelmingly approved the 2nd speechmaking of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to signifier successful a prohibition connected the merchantability of baccy products.

Mr Sunak, who views the prohibition arsenic a cardinal portion of his semipermanent legacy, had allowed MPs a escaped ballot connected the issue.

But helium volition inactive beryllium rocked by the information 59 Tory MPs - including six Government ministers - actively opposed his plans, portion galore much abstained from voting.

A full of 165 Conservative MPs failed to backmost the PM's Bill tonight, which was conscionable nether fractional the full of 347 Tory MPs successful the Commons.

After the vote, shadiness wellness caput Wes Streeting swiped that it was 'only acknowledgment to Labour MPs' that Mr Sunak saw his plans approved by the Commons.

'Rishi Sunak enactment this Bill astatine hazard by granting a escaped vote, due to the fact that helium is excessively anemic to basal up to the Liz Truss-wing of his party,' helium said,

'Labour archetypal projected a progressive prohibition connected smoking much than a twelvemonth ago, and it was lone acknowledgment to Labour MPs that this Bill passed.'

The Conservative rebellion contiguous came aft cardinal figures connected the Tory Right spoke retired against the Bill.

They were led by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who earlier became the archetypal of Mr Sunak's ministers to corroborate they would ballot against the smoking ban.

She said the authorities would 'treat legally competent adults differently' by bringing successful an property bounds connected buying cigarettes that changed each year.

Ms Badenoch was joined successful voting against the Bill by chap Government ministers Steve Baker, Alex Burghart, Andrew Griffith, Julia Lopez and Lee Rowley.

The 59 Tory MPs to reason the plans - including 2 'No' tellers - besides included ex-Cabinet ministers Suella Braverman, Sir Simon Clarke, Robert Jenrick, and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg.

A further 106 Conservatives failed to grounds a ballot tonight, meaning galore volition person actively abstained.

Those not voting included Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the House of Commons, erstwhile Tory person Sir Iain Duncan Smith, and ex-defence caput Ben Wallace.

Ms Badenoch is wide viewed arsenic a starring contender to win Mr Sunak arsenic enactment person if the Tories suffer the looming wide election.

She and different ministers were capable to defy the PM contiguous without fearfulness of being sacked owed to Mr Sunak's determination to marque the contented a 'conscience vote'. 

Ms Badenoch's involution came aft ex-PM Liz Truss - who has antecedently attacked the 'nanny state' plans - slammed Mr Sunak for 'limiting freedom'.

Mr Sunak wants to prohibition baccy income to anybody calved connected oregon aft January 1, 2009 - meaning children aged 15 oregon younger contiguous volition ne'er legally beryllium sold a cigaret successful England. 

The PM's Bill besides gives the Government powers to tackle younker vaping, with restrictions connected flavours and caller rules connected packaging and selling vapes.

Tory MPs voting against the Bill were joined by 7 DUP MPs, Reform Party MP Lee Anderson, and Workers Party of Britain MP George Galloway.

Some 178 Conservatives supported the Bill according to the list, alongside 160 Labour MPs, 31 SNP MPs, 5 Liberal Democrats, 3 Plaid Cymru MPs, 2 independents, and the Alliance Party's Stephen Farry.

Ms Badenoch wrote connected X up of tonight's Commons vote: 'I person important concerns and admit the PM making this a escaped vote.

'It gives maine the accidental to explicit my idiosyncratic view, extracurricular corporate responsibility. The rule of equality nether the instrumentality is simply a cardinal one. It underpins galore of my idiosyncratic beliefs.

'We should not dainty legally competent adults otherwise successful this way, wherever radical calved a time isolated volition person permanently antithetic rights.

'Among different reasons it volition make difficulties with enforcement. This load volition autumn not connected the authorities but connected backstage businesses.

'Smoking rates are already declining importantly successful the UK and I deliberation determination is much we tin bash to halt children taking up the habit.

'However, I bash not enactment the attack this measure is taking and truthful volition beryllium voting against it.'

Mr Jenrick, the erstwhile migration minister, besides confirmed his absorption to the PM's plans anterior to tonight's Commons vote.

He said: 'I judge successful idiosyncratic freedom. Let's amended much and prohibition less.

'I besides judge successful the rule of equality nether the law. A phased prohibition of smoking would beryllium an affront to that.

'I volition truthful ballot against the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. I respect those who disagree. The proponents person bully intentions.

'I've seen the harmful effects of smoking successful my ain family, truthful I recognize their perspective.

'But the champion mode to trim smoking is to proceed to educate, not a prohibition that volition beryllium a nightmare to enforce.'

During tetchy exchanges successful the Commons earlier, arsenic MPs debated Mr Sunak's projected smoking ban, Ms Truss swiped that the Government was 'infantilising' Brits by taking distant their choice.

Stressing that she was not a protagonist of smoking, she said she was 'disappointed' that the Tory medication thought the 'state knows best'.

Ms Truss said Labour was the close location for 'finger-wagging, nannying power freaks'.

The involution came arsenic Labour's shadiness wellness caput West Streeting gloated that Ms Truss and her allies were close to marque the proposals 'un-Conservative'. 

He said helium was 'delighted' to enactment the measures aft they were 'adopted' by Mr Sunak.

Mr Sunak plans to guarantee anyone presently aged 15 oregon younger volition ne'er beryllium capable to bargain a cigaret legally.

The PM has insisted it is close to support children, portion Chief Medical Office Chris Whitty dismissed disapproval of the prohibition by saying galore radical cannot springiness up aft becoming addicted.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins kicked disconnected this afternoon's Commons statement by insisting that smoking was causing immense suffering.

She told MPs: 'I wholly recognize the concerns of chap Conservatives.

'We are not successful the wont of banning things, we bash not similar that, and truthful we volition lone bring these powers successful erstwhile we are convinced, pursuing a nary uncertainty robust statement with the intelligence self-confidence that we person to person specified debates connected this broadside of the House… we travel to the decision that determination is nary liberty successful addiction.

'Nicotine robs radical of their state to choose. The immense bulk of smokers commencement erstwhile they are young, and three-quarters accidental that if they could crook backmost the timepiece they would not person started.'

She added: 'That is why, done this Bill, we are creating a smoke-free procreation that volition warrant that no-one who is turning 15 oregon younger this twelvemonth volition ever beryllium legally sold tobacco, redeeming them from the misery of repeated attempts to springiness up, making our system much productive and gathering an NHS that delivers faster, simpler and fairer care.

'I would reason it is our responsibility, so our duty, to support the adjacent procreation and this is what this Bill volition do.'

But Ms Truss said the argumentation was 'emblematic of a technocratic constitution successful this state that wants to bounds people's freedom'.

She added: 'The occupation is the instinct of this establishment, which is reflected by a cross-party statement contiguous successful today's chamber, is to judge that they, that the Government are amended astatine making decisions for radical than radical themselves and I perfectly hold that that is existent for the nether 18s.

'It is precise important that until radical person decision-making capableness portion they are increasing up that we support them. But I deliberation the full thought that we tin support adults from themselves is hugely problematic and it efficaciously infantilises people, and that is what has been going on.

'And what we're seeing, is we're seeing not conscionable connected baccy but besides connected sugar, besides connected alcohol, besides connected meat, a radical of radical who privation to propulsion an docket which is astir limiting people's idiosyncratic freedom, and I deliberation that is fundamentally wrong.'

Conservative MP Alexander Stafford said the Government should not beryllium 'wasting our clip talking astir thing that's dying retired anyway', adding: 'Young radical aren't smoking, it is not chill to smoke… what this Bill should beryllium focused connected is much connected the vape broadside of things, connected the amerciable vapes, the super-charged vapes, the colourful, the flavourful vapes.

'Instead, we are sitting present debating cigarettes that are people being gone retired of beingness anyway.'

But Ms Atkins replied: 'Sadly, determination is thing inevitable astir a alteration successful smoking rates. Indeed successful 2020, the United States saw the archetypal summation successful baccy income successful 20 years and successful Australia successful 2022, the proportionality of teenagers smoking accrued for the archetypal clip successful 25 years.'

She added: 'Here successful the United Kingdom, 100,000 children and young radical instrumentality up smoking each twelvemonth and truthful we indispensable not beryllium lulled into this consciousness of inevitability and security.'

Earlier, erstwhile Cabinet curate Sir Simon Clarke said helium is 'both sceptical and downright opposed' to the plans.

'There are bully ways to tackle a occupation similar this and past determination are atrocious ways, and I deliberation that an outright prohibition risks being counterproductive, I deliberation it really risks making smoking cooler, it surely risks creating a achromatic market, and it besides risks creating a unmanageable situation for the authorities,' helium told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Sir Simon said acquisition and the taxation strategy should beryllium utilized arsenic tools to deter radical from smoking.

Asked astir sentiment polls which amusement that two-thirds of radical successful Britain backmost a phased smoking prohibition – a fig which extends to 70 per cent among those who voted Conservative successful 2019, Sir Simon said: 'There are immoderate things, of course, which are not needfully philosophically oregon practically close which would bid enactment successful the sentiment polls.

'I deliberation astir apt if you were to bash an sentiment canvass connected bringing backmost hanging you'd find that determination was a important proportionality of radical who backed it, that wouldn't needfully mean it was the close happening to do.'

Former PM Boris Johnson has branded the program 'absolutely nuts', saying past week: 'We're banning cigars. What is the constituent of banning - the enactment of Winston Churchill wants to prohibition cigars... Donnez moi un break, arsenic they accidental successful Quebec. It's conscionable mad.' 

The Government believes creating a 'smokefree generation' could forestall much than 470,000 cases of bosom disease, stroke, lung crab and different deadly diseases by the crook of the century. 

Professor Whitty said: 'Smoking kills and causes harm astatine each stages of beingness from stillbirths, asthma successful children, stroke, crab to bosom attacks and dementia.

'This Bill, if passed, volition person a important interaction - preventing disease, disablement and premature deaths agelong into the future.'