MPs back historic smoking ban but Tory leadership frontrunners vote against

Government plans to ban young people from ever being able to legally smoke have been backed by MPs.

The Commons voted in favour of Rishi Sunak’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill in its first parliamentary test – but the PM faced opposition from his own ministers and senior Tory figures.

The proposed law, which will make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after 1 January 2009, passed its second reading by 383 to 67, a majority of 316.

If passed into legislation it would mean children currently aged 15 or younger will never be able to legally buy cigarettes.

Facing pressure from his own MPs, Mr Sunak allowed a “free vote” on the issue which is usually reserved for matters of conscience. This means Tory MPs who do not vote in favour of the legislation will not be punished.

Several senior Tory figures, including those considered rivals for the future leadership of the party, objected to the proposed legislation.

A total of 59 Tories voted against the bill, including half a dozen current ministers. More than a 100 MPs on the Conservative benches appeared to abstain, with no vote recorded.

Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch was the first to announced she would not support the Bill, stressing expressing “significant concerns” about a law that she said would “treat legally competent adults differently”.

“Among other reasons it will create difficulties with enforcement. This burden will fall not on the state but on private businesses,” Ms Badenoch said.

Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan also said she could not support the policy in its current form.

She said she hoped MPs could “make amendments which will make it law which will be more likely to actually deter young smokers without removing freedom of choice for adults”.

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Government ministers Steve Baker, Alex Burghart, Andrew Griffith and Julia Lopez also voted against the plan.

Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick – who, alongside Ms Badenoch, has been touted as a possible leadership contender – came out against the proposed law and said that he was in favour of “personal freedom”.

“I also believe in the principle of equality under the law. A phased ban of smoking would be an affront to that,” he said shortly before the vote.

Several other senior Tories, including former prime minister Liz Truss, said they would not back the Bill due to concerns about freedom.

Ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Sir Jacob Rees Mogg, Sir Graham Brady, Sir Simon Clarke and Jonathan Gullis were among other high profile Tories voting against.

They were joined by seven DUP MPs, Reform Party MP Lee Anderson, and Workers Party of Britain MP George Galloway.

Speaking in the Commons, former Tory leader and PM Ms Truss claimed the ban was the result of a “technocratic establishment” aiming to “limit people’s freedom”.

The objection from MPs came despite a poll, by Savanta, showing 64 per cent of 2019 Conservative voters support the policy.

Other former Tory ministers, including ex-Health Secretary Sir Sajid Javid, backed the plans.

Sir Sajid accused his colleagues for “choosing to stand up for big tobacco against the interest of their constituents”.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said she understood colleagues’ concerns about freedom of choice, and conceded Conservatives were “not in the habit of banning things”, but warned the Commons there was “no liberty in addiction”.

Labour is supporting the Bill, meaning it is likely to be made into law despite the Tory opposition.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting accused Mr Sunak of being “too weak to stand up to the Liz Truss-wing of his party”.

“Labour first proposed a progressive ban on smoking more than a year ago, and it was only thanks to Labour MPs that this bill passed,” he said.

“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.”