Leadership hopefuls fail to back Sunak’s smoking ban

Kemi Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch joined half of Tory MPs who either voted against or did not vote at all on the Bill - Toby Shepheard / Story Picture Agency

Nearly half of Tory MPs, including five leadership hopefuls, failed to support Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban on Tuesday.

A total of 165 Conservatives either abstained or voted against the legislation, with critics warning against “health police’’ wanting to limit people’s freedom.

The Prime Minister got his plans through with the support of Labour MPs. Across the House, 383 voted for the ban and 67 did not, meaning the Bill went through comfortably.

While 180 Tories supported the legislation, 59 voted against and 106 did not vote.

Kemi Badenoch, widely seen as a future candidate for the Tory leadership, was among those to vote against the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, other leadership hopefuls, also voted against the Bill at its second reading, while Penny Mordaunt and Priti Patel abstained.

Along with Mrs Badenoch, five other ministers voted against the scheme, which Mr Sunak sees as a major part of his legacy.

The Business Secretary did not speak in the debate, but wrote on Twitter that she could not support legislation where “people born a day apart will have permanently different rights”.

The Bill – announced with much fanfare by the Prime Minister at last year’s Tory conference – will make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone who turned 15 this year or younger, with the aim of creating a “smoke-free” generation.

MPs were given a free vote on the Bill, so the 59 Tories who voted against it were not officially classed as acting in rebellion.

However, the scale of the revolt will be seen by many as an indicator of dissatisfaction with Mr Sunak’s plans and the potential direction of the party under a future leader.

Mrs Badenoch tweeted: “I’m not a smoker and think it is an unpleasant habit, costly for both the individual and society.

“The PM’s intentions with this Bill are honest and mark him out as a leader who doesn’t duck the thorny issues. I agree with his policy intentions but I have significant concerns and appreciate the PM making this a free vote.

“It gives me the opportunity to express my personal view, outside collective responsibility. The principle of equality under the law is a fundamental one. It underpins many of my personal beliefs.

“We should not treat legally competent adults differently in this way, where people born a day apart will have permanently different rights. Among other reasons it will create difficulties with enforcement. This burden will fall not on the state but on private businesses.

“Smoking rates are already declining significantly in the UK and I think there is more we can do to stop children taking up the habit. However, I do not support the approach this Bill is taking and so will be voting against it.”

Along with Mrs Badenoch, five other ministers voted against – Steve Baker, Alex Burghart, Andrew Griffith, Julia Lopez and Lee Rowley.

While most of the 106 Tories who did not vote were abstentions, some may have been people who supported the Bill but were absent from the House on business.

A source close to Ms Mordaunt, the Leader of the House, said: “She didn’t feel able to support the Bill for many reasons. She sees it as unworkable.”

Speaking in the debate, Liz Truss, the former prime minister, who voted against the Bill, said it was “emblematic of a technocratic establishment in this country that wants to limit people’s freedom”.

“My fear is this is not the final stage that the health police want to push,” she said. “People want to make their own decisions about what they eat and what they drink and how they enjoy themselves.”

She said she was “disappointed” that a Conservative government would bring forward such a “virtue-signalling piece of legislation”.

There were enough “finger-wagging, nannying control freaks” on the opposition benches willing to support the proposals, she said, urging Tories to instead “stand by our principles and our ideals”.

“I think the whole idea that we can protect adults from themselves is hugely problematic and it effectively infantilises people,” she said.

Opening the debate, Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, said: “I totally understand the concerns of fellow Conservatives.

“We are not in the habit of banning things, we do not like that, and so we will only bring these powers in when we are convinced… that there is no liberty in addiction.

“Nicotine robs people of their freedom to choose. 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.

“There is no safe level of smoking and no safe tobacco product. In fact, it is the only product that, if it is consumed as the manufacturer intends, will kill two-thirds of its long-term users.

“That is why, through this Bill, we are creating a smoke-free generation that will guarantee that no one who is turning 15 or younger this year will ever be legally sold tobacco, saving them from the misery of repeated attempts to give up, making our economy more productive and building an NHS that delivers faster, simpler and fairer care.

“I would argue it is our responsibility, indeed our duty, to protect the next generation, and this is what this Bill will do.”

On Twitter, Mr Jenrick wrote:

He added: “I respect those who disagree. The proponents have good intentions. I’ve seen the harmful effects of smoking in my own family, so I understand their perspective.

“But the best way to reduce smoking is to continue to educate, not a ban that will prove a nightmare to enforce.”

In the debate, Sir John Hayes, a former Tory minister, said: “The idea of a rolling age of consent, for the consequence that someone of 35 will be able to buy tobacco, someone of 34 not, and so on and so forth, is at best a curiosity and at worst an absurdity.”

Tim Stanley

Another liberty disappears in a puff of smoke

Read more

Sir Simon Clarke, a former levelling up secretary, said the Bill was “fundamentally illiberal legislation” and would lead to “further rights creep”.

“I simply don’t understand how it is that a Conservative prime minister thought it was appropriate to bring forward legislation which is the opposite of why we in this House are sent here, which is to defend and uphold the principle of individual choice and individual liberty,” he said.

Sir Jake Berry, the founder of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs, said: “If you believe in freedom, you have to accept that I have to be free to make bad decisions as well as good decisions.

“If we live in a society where the only decisions we can make are the ones government tell us we can make, you may as well live in Russia, you might as well live in China.”

All three voted against the Bill.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said he was “shocked” to see the Conservatives propose a tobacco ban but confirmed Labour was giving its “wholehearted” support to the Bill.

He added that his party was “only too happy to defend the Health Secretary against the siren voices of big tobacco” gathered on the Tory benches.


08:09 PM BST

That’s all for today...

Thank you for joining The Telegraph’s liveblog.

My colleague Jack Maidment will be back tomorrow morning.


07:56 PM BST

Penny Mordaunt abstained from smoking Bill vote as she believed it was unworkable

Penny Mordaunt abstained from voting on Rishi Sunak’s smoking Bill as she believed it was unworkable, The Telegraph understands.

It is understood that the Commons Leader felt unable to support the Bill for many reasons.

In contrast, her Cabinet colleague Kemi Badenoch went a step further and voted against the Bill, as she said she had “significant concerns” about its approach.


07:46 PM BST

Rishi Sunak ‘put this Bill at risk by granting a free vote’ says Labour

Rishi Sunak of put the smoking Bill “at risk” by putting it too a free vote as he “is too weak to stand up to the Liz Truss-wing of his party”, Labour have claimed.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said in the wake of the Bill passing: “Rishi Sunak put this bill at risk by granting a free vote, because he is 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.

“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.”


07:39 PM BST

Serving ministers among those voting against Bill

Several serving ministers were among those voting against the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

They included Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart, Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, culture minister Julia Lopez, and communities minister Lee Rowley.

Former prime minister Liz Truss and former housing secretary Sir Simon Clarke also voted against the legislation.


07:27 PM BST

More than 100 Tory MPs did not vote in Rishi Sunak’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Over 100 Conservative MPs did not vote on Rishi Sunak’s flagship Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Some of those MPs will have decided to abstain, but others could have a procedural reason for not voting or been unable to attend the vote for other reasons.

A total of 57 Tory MPs voted against the Bill, including as expected Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick.

Among those who voted against the legislation were deputy Tory Party chairmen Rachel Maclean and Jonathan Gullis.

Also voting against the Bill were Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, and Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs.


06:51 PM BST

Rolling tobacco ban ‘biggest single intervention we can make to improve our nation’s health’ says health minister

The proposed rolling tobacco ban in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the “biggest single intervention we can make to improve our nation’s health”, a Government health minister said.

Andrea Leadsom told the Commons: “83 per cent of people start smoking before the age of 20, and that’s why we need to have the guts to create the first smoke-free generation across the United Kingdom, making sure that children turning 15 or younger this year will never be legally sold tobacco.

“It is the single biggest intervention we can make to improve our nation’s health.”

She added: “The case for the Bill is totally clear. Cigarettes are the products that, when used as the manufacturer intends, will go on to kill two thirds of its long term users. That makes it different from eating a McDonald’s.”

Ms Leadsom admitted that she had taken up smoking at 14 years old, and gave up the habit “as a 21st birthday present to myself”.

She added that, 40 years later, “I still feel like a fag sometimes...it’s that addictive.”


06:40 PM BST

Labour health minister hits back at Liz Truss’ ‘health police’ jibe

A Labour health minister has hit back at Liz Truss’ comments that supporters of the rolling smoking ban were “the health police”.

Labour’s Wes Streeting earlier in the Commons expressed support for Rishi Sunak’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Preet Kaul Gill, a shadow health minister, said: “I simply say that if wanting to stop future generations getting addicted to products that may eventually kill them, makes us the health police, then the health police we are.”

Earlier, Ms Truss had said: “My real fear is that this is not the final stage that the health police want to push. They are the health police and people are concerned about this.

“They want to be able to make their own decisions about what they eat, what they drink and how they enjoy themselves.”


06:33 PM BST

Jenrick: ‘Let’s educate more and ban less’

Robert Jenrick has confirmed he will vote against the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, saying that he believes in “personal freedom”.

The former Home Office minister said on X: “I believe in personal freedom. Let’s educate more and ban less.

“I also believe in the principle of equality under the law. A phased ban of smoking would be an affront to that.”

He added: “I respect those who disagree. The proponents have good intentions.

“I’ve seen the harmful effects of smoking in my own family, so I understand their perspective.

“But the best way to reduce smoking is to continue to educate, not a ban that will prove a nightmare to enforce.”


06:30 PM BST

How possible future Tory leadership hopefuls are set to vote in smoking bill

Here’s where The Telegraph understands MPs tipped to run as a future Tory leader currently stand on Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking Bill:

Against

Kemi Badenoch

Robert Jenrick

For

Grant Shapps

James Cleverly

Tom Tugendhat

Abstaining

Priti Patel

To be confirmed

Penny Mordaunt

Suella Braverman


06:10 PM BST

Foreign Office minister announces she will not be voting for Rishi Sunak’s smoking legislation

Foreign office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan has said that she will not be supporting the Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

She said that she had “pondered long and hard” about how to vote on the legislation, but said she believed the enforcement of the proposals in their current form was “impossible”.

She wrote on X, formerly Twiter: “My granny smoked all her life, the rest of us have always been opposed to it as a result.  But her ability to decide for herself is one which I would not want to remove.

She added: “I look forward to the next stage of this bill coming back with amendments which will make vaping impossible to glamorise, an 18 or 21 age limit for purchase, and continued work to discourage smoking.”


05:51 PM BST

Kemi Badenoch confirms she will vote against Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban

Kemi Badenoch has confirmed that she will be voting against Rishi Sunak’s flagship Tobacco and Vapes Bill, saying that she had “significant concerns” with the legislation.

The Business Secretary said that the Prime Minister had “honest” intentions with the Bill, and that it marks him out “as a leader who doesn’t duck the thorny issues”.

But she wrote on X that she said she did not believe that adults should be treated “differently” with the rolling smoking ban and that she had concerns about enforcement.


05:40 PM BST

Brussels’ police action against NatCon ‘chilling’, says Robert Jenrick

Robert Jenrick has accused the Brussels mayor of “Putin-esque tactics” in moving to shut down the National Conservatism conference.

The former Home Office minister said on X, formerly Twitter: “This is chilling.

“The mayor has banned conservatives who articulate the view of millions of people from meeting because he doesn’t like their opinions.

“Meanwhile the Labour Party laugh at these Putin-esque tactics. Anyone who believes in freedom of speech should be concerned.”

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, had referenced Suella Braverman attending the event during a Commons debate earlier in the day.

He said: “A source close to the Rt Hon member for Fareham, who couldn’t be with us... because she’s currently in Brussels surrounded by the police who are trying to shut down the event she is attending with some far-right fanatics, with whom she has much in common.”


05:35 PM BST

Nigel Farage: Nasty Brussels police have just proven Brexit right

It was no surprise to me that I wouldn’t be welcomed back to Brussels, writes Nigel Farage.

I first got wind that trouble was brewing on Saturday afternoon, when I received word from the organisers of the National Conservative Conference that political pressure was being put on the venue to cancel the rally.

A new venue was found, but despite best efforts, that option too was closed off. Having one venue cancel I could live with, but two is absolutely outrageous. Yet we hadn’t even reached the lowest point. On arrival at the third venue, the mood was tense and we were told by security that the police were on their way to stop people from entering! A warm welcome back indeed.

The excuse given by officials to harass a peaceful political event “to guarantee public safety” is simply extraordinary. How on Earth could the public be threatened by the speeches of the prime minister of Hungary and leaders of national political parties bidding to win in the upcoming European elections? No, the real threat seems to be ideological: the questioning of Brussels’ “ever closer union”. Holding these beliefs appears to have been enough to attempt to shut the conference down.

You can read Nigel Farage’s full comment piece here.


05:25 PM BST

Smoking ban marks ‘new era of prohibition’, warns free market think tank

The Government’s proposed smoking ban would bring in “a new era of prohibition”, the Institute of Economic Affairs has said.

Christopher Snowdon, of the free market think tank, said: “A new era of prohibition has begun. No matter how this absurd policy is dressed up, it is a gross infringement on freedom and opens the door to future prohibitions on alcohol, gambling, vaping and so-called junk food. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.”


05:20 PM BST

Sir Simon Clarke: Smoking ban will be a ‘nightmare’ for shop staff

The proposed progressive smoking ban would be a “nightmare for shop workers” when it comes to enforcement, a former Cabinet minister has said.

Sir Simon Clarke told the Commons: “I do also believe in practice it is going to be a nightmare for shop workers up and down the country to be asked to enforce this.

“And I do think that it places them in a very invidious position, one which is likely to lead either to them facing real trouble in their shops or to them frankly, passing the buck and ignoring the law and making a mockery of it.”

He added: “I simply don’t understand how it is that a Conservative Prime Minister has thought it was appropriate to bring forward legislation which seems to me as the opposite of the reason why we in this house are sent here, which is to defend ever hold the principle of individual choice and individual freedom.”


05:07 PM BST

Former Tory deputy party chairman: ‘What next, a ban on alcohol? A ban on takeaways?’

Former Tory deputy party chairman Brendan Clarke-Smith has said he “cannot support” the Government’s flagship smoking ban, as he said that the Government should “get back to trusting adults to make their own decisions”.

The MP for Bassetlaw said: “As Margaret Thatcher once said: ‘When people are free to choose, they choose freedom.’

“But what next, a ban on alcohol? A ban on takeaways? I declare an interest in both of those.”

He added: “Both of these are bad for us when they’re not done responsibly, but we are adults. These are our choices. These are not the state’s choice. We need to get back to trusting adults to make their own decisions in life. “


05:06 PM BST

Braverman: It’s ‘laughable’ that Brussels ‘thought police’ were sent to shut down NatCon

Suella Braverman has said it is “laughable” that Brussels “thought police” were sent to shut down the National Conservatism conference.

The former home secretary, who was a keynote speaker at the event, wrote on X: “It’s laughable that the Brussels’ thought police were sent out to shut down a conference of democratically elected politicians representing the views of millions of people.

“They clearly didn’t want to hear about how we can secure our borders & protect our citizens.”


05:01 PM BST

Defiant peers inflict fresh defeat to Rwanda deportation plan

Defiant peers have blocked Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda deportation plan by inflicting a fresh defeat, Charles Hymas writes.

The House of Lords backed an amendment by 258 votes to 233, majority 25, that the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill has “due regard” for international and key domestic laws, including human rights and modern slavery legislation.

The defeat means the Bill will be sent back to the Commons in an extension of the wrangling over the proposed law that aims to clear the way for the first flights to Rwanda.

The legislation has returned to the Lords after MPs voted down all the Lords’ amendments in the latest round of “parliamentary ping-pong” in the Commons last night.

The Bill and a treaty with Rwanda are intended to prevent further legal challenges to the stalled asylum scheme after the Supreme Court ruled the plan was unlawful.

As well as compelling judges to regard the east African country as safe, it would also give ministers the power to ignore emergency injunctions.


04:37 PM BST

What is Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban and who will it affect?

Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban is being debated by the Commons for the first time on Tuesday amid a backlash to some of his proposals.

MPs will have a free vote on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would bar anyone born after 2009 from buying cigarettes.

Take a look at The Telegraph’s in-depth explainer at Mr Sunak’s plans here.


04:24 PM BST

Downing Street pushes back on Truss’ claims that ‘finger-wagging, nannying, control freaks’ back smoking ban

Downing Street has pushed back against former prime minister Liz Truss’s attack on “finger-wagging, nannying, control freaks” supporting the Government’s proposed smoking ban.

A No 10 spokeswoman told reporters: “I think the Prime Minister would disagree with that.

“I think, as he set out right when he first announced this, this is an important change which will save thousands of lives and billions of pounds for the NHS. And the Prime Minister thinks that that is an important thing to do.”

Asked why Mr Sunak believes the move is not unconservative, the spokeswoman said: “This has always been a free vote and that’s because he respects that people’s attitudes to smoking is a matter of conscience and that’s why the approach that we’re taking with this legislation has been in line with previous interventions.”


04:15 PM BST

Belgian police moving to shut down NatCon is ‘extremely disturbing’, Downing Street says

Belgian police action to shut down the National Conservatism conference was “extremely disturbing”, Downing Street has said.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said: “Clearly, these reports are extremely disturbing.

“The Prime Minister is a strong supporter and advocator for free speech and he believes that should be fundamental to any democracy.

“Speaking more broadly to the principle of such events, he is very clear that cancelling events or preventing attendance and no-platforming speakers is damaging to free speech and to democracy as a result.

“He is very clear that free debate and the exchange of views is vital, even where you disagree.”

The spokeswoman added she was not aware of any plans to raise the issue with the Belgian government.


03:55 PM BST

Clear majority of voters back Sunak’s smoking ban plan

A clear majority of voters are in favour of Rishi Sunak’s plan to introduce a phased ban on smoking, according to a new Savanta poll for The Telegraph.

A survey conducted between April 12-14 found that almost six in 10 people (59 per cent) supported the ban while just one in five (20 per cent) are opposed to the policy.

Opposition to the ban is highest among younger people.

Some 43 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds said they supported the ban but 28 per cent said they opposed it.

Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, said: “Young people appear to be increasingly libertarian in their views across our research, and this has been shown again with their opposition to the Government’s proposed smoking ban – despite no one surveyed at risk of being impacted by the legislation.

“Gen Z are broadly less likely to smoke than older generations, but 18-24 year old’s are the least likely to support the ban compared with every other age group. In fact, over 55s are four times more likely to support the smoking ban than oppose it.”


03:48 PM BST

Sir Sajid Javid backs ‘robust’ plan to ban smoking

Sir Sajid Javid, the former health secretary, backed the Government’s plan to introduce a phased ban on smoking.

He told the House of Commons: “It is only right that we take robust action to protect future generations from these harmful products.”

Sir Sajid criticised MPs who have argued the ban would impinge on personal freedom.

He said: “Can we honestly say that this drug enhances personal liberty and freedom? It is a nonsense argument. Anyone who makes that argument, they are choosing to stand up for big tobacco against the interest of their constituents and to erode someone’s personal liberty and remove their freedom to choose, by using drugs, buy giving them access to drugs.

“This drug diminishes economic freedom and it diminishes the wealth of individuals, it diminishes the wealth of our country.”


03:37 PM BST

Don’t back ‘finger-wagging’ measures, Truss tells fellow Tory MPs

Liz Truss warned her fellow Tory MPs not to support what she described as “finger-wagging” measures like the proposed ban on smoking.

Delivering a message to her colleagues, Ms Truss said: “If people want to vote for finger-wagging, nannying control freaks, there are plenty of them to choose from on the benches opposite and that is the way they will vote.

“And if people want to have control over their lives, if they want to have freedom, that is why they vote Conservative and we have to stand by our principles and our ideals…”


03:31 PM BST

Truss attacks ‘health police’ over smoking ban

Liz Truss said she feared the Government’s smoking ban would not be the “final stage” of activity by what she described as the “health police”.

She told the House of Commons: “My real fear is that this is not the final stage that the health police want to push. They are the health police and people are concerned about this.

“They want to be able to make their own decisions about what they eat, what they drink and how they enjoy themselves.”

Ms Truss suggested the Tobacco and Vapes Bill was a “virtue-signalling piece of legislation about protecting adults from themselves in the future”.


03:00 PM BST

Truss: Phased smoking ban ‘emblematic of a technocratic establishment’

Liz Truss, the former prime minister, has described the Government’s phased smoking ban as “emblematic of a technocratic establishment in this country”, as she spoke against the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Ms Truss said: “The reason I’m speaking today is I’m very concerned that this policy being put forward is emblematic of a technocratic establishment in this country that wants to limit people’s freedom, and I think that is a problem.”

She added: “The problem is the instinct of this establishment, which is reflected by a cross-party consensus today in today’s chamber, is to believe that they, that the Government are better at making decisions for people than people themselves and I absolutely agree that that is true for the under 18s.

“It is very important that until people have decision-making capability while they are growing up that we protect them. But I think the whole idea that we can protect adults from themselves is hugely problematic and it effectively infantilises people, and that is what has been going on.

“And what we’re seeing, is we’re seeing not just on tobacco but also on sugar, also on alcohol, also on meat, a group of people who want to push an agenda which is about limiting people’s personal freedom, and I think that is fundamentally wrong.”


02:50 PM BST

Streeting: Sunak ‘too weak’ to take on Tory MPs over smoking ban

Wes Streeting has taken aim at Rishi Sunak over party disunity over its flagship smoking Bill, accusing the Prime Minister of being “too weak” to take on arguments from Tory MPs opposing the proposed progressive smoking ban.

The shadow health secretary said: “Someone’s got to defend [this Bill] and I get the sense that there aren’t going to be too many on the side opposite. So let me have a go at doing what the Prime Minister is too weak to do and take on the arguments of his own party.

“They say the progressive ban on smoking is unconservative. What, let me tell them, what is unconservative… (is) the heaviest tax burden in 70 years and it will get heavier if we do not act to prevent ill health.”

He told the Commons: “We happily align ourselves with big health in defence of the nation and we are only too happy to defend the Health Secretary against the siren voices of big tobacco we see gathered around our former prime minister (Liz Truss) in the corner of the chamber.”

He added: “A stopped clock is right twice a day, and I find myself agreeing with the former prime minister. This is absolutely an un-Conservative Bill, it is a Labour Bill, and we are delighted to see the Government bring it forward.”


02:41 PM BST

Mordaunt and Badenoch weigh up voting against PM’s smoking ban

Penny Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch are both considering voting against Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban on Tuesday evening, The Telegraph understands.

The two Cabinet ministers, who are both tipped for a future Tory leadership bid, are still deciding whether to back the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, seen as a potentially defining part of the Prime Minister’s legacy.

It raises the prospect that the Conservative backlash over the policy could spread all the way up to the top of Government.

Read the full story here.


02:35 PM BST

Ban on tobacco and vapes will not cause ‘black market boom’, insists Health Secretary

Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, has denied that a ban on tobacco and vapes sales will cause a “black market boom”.

She told the Commons: “What we are saying is, it is already unlawful to sell vapes to under 18s but we want to take the power in this legislation to consult on flavours, design and so on to ensure that vapes are being sold as they should be, as they are intended in order to help adult smokers to quit because no child should veer vape.”

She added: “The tobacco industry claims that there will be unintended consequences to raising the age of sale, they assert that the black market will boom. Before the smoking age was increased from 16 to 18, they sang from the same hymn sheet but the facts, I’m afraid, showed otherwise.


02:20 PM BST

Braverman tells NatCon: UK Government ‘doesn’t have the political will to take on the ECHR’

The British Government “doesn’t have the political will to take on the ECHR”, Suella Braverman has told the National Conservatism conference.

The former home secretary used her conference speech to publicly express that the UK would leave the European Court on Human Rights “now”, calling it “the politically expedient thing to do.”

She told the conference: “Regrettably, the UK Government doesn’t have the political will to take on the ECHR and hasn’t laid the groundwork for doing so.

“It’s therefore no surprise that recent noises in this direction from the Prime Minister are being dismissed by the public as inauthentic.

“It must also be said that any attempt by the Government to include a plan for ECHR withdrawal, or a promise to hold a referendum on the question, in a losing Conservative Party election manifesto would likely set the cause back a generation.”

Her remarks came after Rishi Sunak said earlier this month that controlling immigration was “more important” than membership of he convention.

Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, addresses the National Conservatism conference in Brussels
Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, addresses the National Conservatism conference in Brussels - Virginia Mayo /AP

02:14 PM BST

Victoria Atkins: ‘There is no liberty in addiction’

The Health Secretary has told MPs that “there is no liberty in addiction” in response to arguments from Conservative colleagues that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on personal freedom grounds.

Victoria Atkins told the Commons: “I understand the argument, the concern that we are banning things, I totally understand the concerns of fellow Conservatives, we are not in the habit of banning things, we do not like that and so we will only bring these powers in when we are convinced, following a no-doubt robust debate with the intellectual self-confidence that we have to have such debates on this side of the House, we come to the conclusion that there is no liberty in addiction.

She added: “Nicotine robs people of their freedom to choose. 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.”


02:05 PM BST

Braverman accuses authorities in Brussels of trying to ‘undermine and denigrate’ free speech

Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, accused authorities in Brussels of trying to “undermine and denigrate” free speech, as police moved to shut down the National Conservatism conference.

Speaking from inside the conference, where she is a keynote speaker, Ms Baverman told Sky News: “It’s a real shame that the thought police, instructed by the mayor of Brussels, has saw fit to try and undermine and denigrate what is free speech and free debate.

“I remember the words of Mrs Thatcher, I’m going to misquote her, but the more ridiculous and far-fetched and extremist their attempts are to silence us, the more cheered on I am because it just shows that they’ve lost. They’ve lost the political argument.”

When asked if she believes something similar could happen in the UK, she said: “What really does concern me here in Brussels is that only last year, the mayor of Brussels was happy to host the mayor of Tehran here in Brussels.

“And yet he seems to be pretty offended by democratically elected politicians, people from all over the European continent who are giving voice to millions of people talking about things like securing our borders.”

“Could this happen in the UK? I generally think we have a culture of freedom of speech, we value debate and a free flow of ideas. It’s a cherished foundation of our democracy and long may continue.”


02:03 PM BST

Pictured: Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves visit a housing development in West Sussex

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner visit a housing development in Pease Pottage, West Sussex
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner visit a housing development in Pease Pottage, West Sussex - Stefan Rousseau/PA

01:52 PM BST

NatCon organisers claim food and water deliveries being blocked to venue

Food and water is being blocked from being delivered to the National Conservatism conference as police move to shut it down, organisers have claimed.

The conference organisers wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that people were able to leave the conference, but could not return.

They wrote: “The police are not letting anyone in. People can leave, but they cannot return. Delegates have limited access to food and water, which are being prevented from delivery.”


01:49 PM BST

Former Tory Party chairman says he will oppose Government smoking ban

Former Tory Party chairman Jake Berry has said that he will oppose the Government’s phased ban on smoking, saying that “freedom to do just what the Government wants you to do is not freedom at all”.

The MP for Rossendale and Darwen said in a video on X: “While there may be good things in this, maybe you, like me, agree that children should not be taking up vaping. I am going to be speaking today and opposing the out and out ban for people ever smoking.

“And the real reason is that freedom is really important to me as a conservative. And freedom to do just what the Government wants you to do is not freedom at all.

He added: “We have to accept that as people grow older, even if they make bad decisions they are still their decision to make.”


01:45 PM BST

Pictured: Farage’s view of ‘current situation’ in Brussels


01:32 PM BST

Farage: ‘There is no public order threat in here whatsoever’

There is “no public order threat” at the National Conservatism Conference “whatsoever”, Nigel Farage has said, as police officers attempt to shut it down.

Speaking to GB News after being on stage, Mr Farage was asked how he would respond if police tried to remove him from the conference, he said: “I’m not given to violence, so I won’t avail myself of it.

“It’s pretty clear this will be closed down, they’re using public order but that’s actually no excuse at all. There is no public order threat in here whatsoever.”


01:15 PM BST

Sunak urges Cabinet ministers to back smoking ban

Rishi Sunak has urged his Cabinet ministers to support his plan for a phased ban on smoking.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “If we want to build a better future for our children, we need to tackle the biggest cause of death, which is smoking.

“It costs 80,000 lives a year and costs the nation £70billion a year. No parent wants their children to start smoking and the Bill is about protecting future generations.

“He would urge everyone to consider that the Bill is seeking that future generations are smoke free. And the Chief Medical Officer said this morning that the great majority of smokers are wishing they had never started.”


01:06 PM BST

Farage: ‘How do you think this looks to the rest of the world?’

Nigel Farage said he was used to “deep intolerance” being shown towards him from his time as an MEP in the European Parliament.

But he said he had “never seen it acted out” on a broader public stage. He also suggested the attempt to shut down the NatCon conference in Brussels would look bad on the world stage.

He told broadcasters in Brussels: “On an individual scale, yes, I was banned from restaurants, I was banned from pubs, I was even banned from coffee bars, refusing to serve me.

“So I am used to this deep intolerance of anybody with a different point of view. I have never seen it acted out, that was on a private stage, that was just me that they hate, fair enough.

“But this is on a public stage. How do you think this looks to the rest of the world?”


12:55 PM BST

Chaos at NatCon follows ‘forced’ relocation

The National Conservatism conference was already forced to relocate over the weekend after claims of “political pressure” from the mayor of Brussels.

It was due to be held at the Concert Noble in the city before it was moved to the Sofitel Brussels Europe hotel.

Yoram Hazony, the conference chairman, said his team had been told by the venue that it had to pull the event amid “political pressure” from Philippe Close, the Socialist Party mayor of Brussels.

Pressure had been growing on Concert Noble to cancel the conference, including from the Belgian League of Human Rights and the Belgian Anti-Fascist Coordination, according to local reports.


12:47 PM BST

Farage: Attempt to shut down NatCon conference is ‘monstrous’

Nigel Farage described the attempt to shut down the National Conservatism conference in Brussels as “monstrous”.

He said it had further convinced him that the UK leaving the European Union “was the right thing to do”.

Speaking to broadcasters, Mr Farage said: “We have got the prime minister of country coming, we have got a Roman Catholic bishop coming, we have got representatives of parties at the top of the polls all around Europe in elections.

“This is the sort of complete old communist-style thing. You don’t agree with me, you have got to be banned, you are mad, and to be shut down. It is monstrous.

“I’ll tell you what , it has done me a favour because at times I think oh, I wish the government had done Brexit a bit better than they have and why haven’t they tightened the borders up.

“But if anything has convinced me that leaving the European Union ideology was the right thing to do it is the events of today.”


12:42 PM BST

Farage blasts attempt to shut down NatCon conference in Brussels

Nigel Farage suggested the attempt to shut down the National Conservatism conference in Brussels amounted to a “modern, updated form of communism”.

Speaking to broadcasters after delivering his speech Mr Farage said: “This is a modern, updated form of communism, that no alternative opinion is allowed.

“There is not a single public order interest here at all. Have a look at who is in the room. These are very eminently respectable people.”


12:37 PM BST

Notice to close NatCon summit suggested event posed safety risk

Emir Kir, the mayor of Saint Josse, said: “I issued an order from the Mayor to ban the National Conservatism Conference event to guarantee public safety. In Etterbeek, Brussels City and Saint-Josse, the far-right is not welcome.”

The notice served by the police said the event posed a danger to pedestrians outside the venue, a conference source said.


12:28 PM BST

Suella Braverman addresses NatCon event as police attempt to shut it down

There are chaotic scenes at the National Conservatism conference in Brussels as police officers attempt to shut the event down.

Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, is currently speaking on the stage.


12:20 PM BST

Police attempt to shut down Conservative conference as Farage speaks

Police officers in Brussels are attempting to shut down a conservative conference as Nigel Farage speaks on stage, writes Joe Barnes. 

They arrived to issue a notice to close the National Conservatism summit after a municipal mayor ordered the event be shut down on security grounds.

Nigel Farage appears to be beckoned off stage as he addresses the NatCon conference in Brussels
Nigel Farage appears to be beckoned off stage as he addresses the NatCon conference in Brussels - GB News

12:05 PM BST

Mordaunt and Badenoch considering voting against Sunak smoking ban

Penny Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch are both considering voting against Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban tonight, The Telegraph understands.

The two Cabinet ministers, who are both tipped for a future Tory leadership bid, are still deciding how to vote on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, seen as a potentially defining part of the Prime Minister’s legacy.

It raises the prospect that the Conservative backlash over the policy could spread all the way up to the top of Government.

Sources close to Ms Mordaunt, the Commons Leader, said she is known to have reservations about the legislation, which would bar anyone born after 2009 from buying cigarettes. It is understood she is yet to make up her mind on how to vote.

Meanwhile, a source close to Ms Badenoch, the Business Secretary, said she was weighing the issue up and speaking to colleagues before making a decision.


12:05 PM BST

Poll: Andy Street on course to lose West Midlands mayor election

Andy Street is on course to lose his role as the Mayor of the West Midlands at the election on May 2, a new poll has suggested.

A Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey conducted between April 10–14 put the Tory incumbent 14 points behind his Labour rival.

Mr Street was on 28 per cent of the vote while Labour’s Richard Parker was on 42 per cent.

Reform UK was on 13 per cent, the Green Party was on seven per cent and the Liberal Democrats were also on seven per cent.

Mr Street is arguably the Conservative Party’s most prominent regional politician and losing the mayoralty to Labour would represent a significant blow to Rishi Sunak.

Mr Street is seeking a third term in the role.


11:36 AM BST

Pictured: Penny Mordaunt walks to Downing Street to attend Cabinet this morning

Penny Mordaunt, the Commons Leader, is pictured in Whitehall this morning as she attended the weekly Cabinet meeting in Downing Street
Penny Mordaunt, the Commons Leader, is pictured in Whitehall this morning as she attended the weekly Cabinet meeting in Downing Street - Richard Lincoln /Alamy Live News

11:22 AM BST

Truss is ‘gift that keeps on giving to Labour’, claims Lord Barwell

A Tory former Downing Street chief of staff claimed Liz Truss is the “gift that keeps on giving to Labour”.

Lord Barwell, who served in No 10 during Theresa May’s premiership, suggested Ms Truss’s recent round of interviews to promote her new book was unhelpful to the Conservative Party ahead of the local elections on May 2.

He tweeted: “If I were a Conservative candidate in May’s council elections, or indeed the General Election later this year, the very last thing I would want is days of headlines of [Liz Truss] blaming everyone else for her own mistakes. She is the gift that keeps on giving to Labour.”


11:06 AM BST

Smoking ban will ‘increase sale of illicit tobacco’, says Tory MP

A Tory MP has warned a ban on smoking will increase the sale of illicit tobacco.

Rehman Chishti, a former minister, expressed concerns about the Prime Minister’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill which MPs are due to vote on for the first time at 7pm tonight.

He tweeted: “Today’s Bill on banning smoking will increase sale of illicit tobacco. That can not be right.”


10:56 AM BST

Tory MPs backing smoking ban shows ‘how politics constantly shifts left’, says Lord Frost

Lord Frost suggested Tory MPs supporting a ban on smoking was an example of how “politics constantly shifts left”.

The former Brexit minister said that something the Conservative Party “has never wanted to do in its near-200 years of existence suddenly becomes conservative because Rishi Sunak decrees it”.

He was responding to Jesse Norman, a Tory MP and former minister, who tweeted that it was “very hard to see what is supposed to be unconservative about the Tobacco and Vaping Bill”.

Mr Norman said it is a “gradual long term reform that doesn’t affect anyone now smoking”.

But Lord Frost responded:


10:49 AM BST

Pictured: Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds speaks to broadcasters in Westminster

Anneliese Dodds, the Labour Party chair, is pictured talking to broadcasters in Westminster this morning
Anneliese Dodds, the Labour Party chair, is pictured talking to broadcasters in Westminster this morning - Thomas Krych/Shutterstock

10:39 AM BST

Junk food TV advert ban must not be pushed back again, urges Whitty

A watershed ban on fast food advertising must not be pushed back any further, Professor Sir Chris Whitty has said.

The Chief Medical Officer for England told the BBC: “The thing which I would first like to see is the ban on advertising at a time when children can watch TV, which is in force but the start date has been pushed back in time.

“I hope that never gets pushed back again and I think all of us would really like to see advertising of the most harmful foods, the ones that are likely to cause obesity extremely quickly, curbed in some ways.”

The Government has repeatedly pushed back plans to bring in a watershed ban on junk food adverts, which means they can only be broadcast between 9pm and 5:30am, which was first recommended in 2021 but will now come into effect from 2025 at the earliest.


10:29 AM BST

Pictured: Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, in Westminster this morning

Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, is pictured today in Westminster
Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, is pictured today in Westminster - Tayfun Salci /Shutterstock

10:24 AM BST

Health Secretary confirms she will vote for smoking ban

Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, has confirmed she will vote for Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban tonight.

Numerous Tory MPs are expected to rebel and vote against the policy but Ms Atkins said she will support the “historic legislation”.


10:20 AM BST

Sunak’s ban will mean smoking dies out ‘almost completely’, predicts Whitty

Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban will lead to the habit “dying out almost completely”, Professor Sir Chris Whitty has predicted.

The Chief Medical Officer for England said he was “confident that this will take the rates of smoking right the way down”.

He told the BBC: “This is a really serious health problem. And the reason this is doubly problematic is that the great majority of smokers wish they never started, but they become addicted at an early age and then they’re trapped and their choice has been taken away by that addiction.

“This is one of the reasons why the argument that if you’re pro-choice, you’re in favour of cigarettes is so surprising because this is a product which is designed to take your choice away from you.”

He added: “The aim of this legislation, as you say, is to ensure that no children 15 or below actually become addicted to smoking, or at least cannot be legally sold cigarettes, and we do expect that over time to lead to essentially smoking dying out almost completely, which would be an enormous public health achievement.”


10:16 AM BST

Reader poll: Do you support the Government’s smoking ban?

MPs will vote this evening for the first time on Rishi Sunak’s plan to introduce a phased ban on smoking.

The policy has prompted a revolt from some Tory MPs who are opposed to the ban on freedom grounds.

Many believe the policy is unconservative. But what do you think? You can have your say in our reader poll below:


10:10 AM BST

Lord Hague: Liz Truss returning as Tory leader ‘definitely not a good idea’

Lord Hague said another Liz Truss premiership is “definitely not a good idea” after she said she had “unfinished business” at the top of politics.

Lord Hague, the former leader of the Conservative Party, rubbished the suggestion that Ms Truss could return.

He told Times Radio: “I am not in general in favour of former leaders having another go at being the leader, having experienced being the leader of the party myself and I certainly never wanted another go.

“It is definitely not a good idea to have another go if it was a particularly catastrophic episode when you were the leader.

“So no, I don’t think that would be a good idea. But there is a debate, let’s acknowledge, as in all political parties and it has often happened in the Labour Party, there is a debate about its future orientation and she has shown she is going to be part of that debate. I will happily take the other side of the debate.”

Ms Truss yesterday refused to rule out running for leader of the Conservative Party again. She suggested that “it’s never wise to rule anything out in politics”.


09:58 AM BST

Position on Islamic Revolutionary Guard ‘not fixed’, says minister

A Home Office minister said the Government’s stance on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was “not a fixed position” amid calls for the UK to proscribe the group.

Laura Farris told LBC News that “a range of sanctions remain under review” and “this isn’t the fixed position, but at this point in time I did notice that the Foreign Secretary was talking about the value of that direct line (to Tehran)”.

She added: “I don’t think there’s any disagreement, actually, on the principle.

“We’re not for a second defending the IRGC. We’re simply saying that maintaining that channel with Tehran at this moment in time is, at present, in our national interest.”


09:42 AM BST

Truss: ‘I can’t see a purpose for the UN as it stands’

Liz Truss has suggested the United Nations should be abolished as she claimed it was not fit for purpose in its current form.

The former prime minister, who served as foreign secretary under Boris Johnson, accused the UN of playing a “damaging” role in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Ms Truss told the BBC’s Newscast podcast: “I can’t see a purpose for the UN as it stands. At present it has been very ineffective at dealing with international situations, in fact positively damaging, for example, on Israel.”

Asked whether she wanted to abolish the UN, she replied: “I do recommend abolishing quite a lot of things in my book. I’m not a UN fan. I think the best use it has is actually a meeting point for governments.”


09:32 AM BST

Pictured: Angela Rayner leaves her London home this morning

Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, is pictured this morning leaving her London home
Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, is pictured this morning leaving her London home - Marcin Nowak/London News Pictures Ltd

09:20 AM BST

Big day in Westminster for two of Sunak’s flagship policies

The Rwanda Bill returns to the House of Lords today for further scrutiny while MPs will vote for the first time on Rishi Sunak’s proposed smoking ban.

The House of Commons removed all of the amendments made by peers to the Rwanda Bill last night and the upper chamber is expected to try to make further changes to it this afternoon as the “ping-pong” process continues.

Meanwhile, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is scheduled for its second reading debate - the first major hurdle all new Bills must clear on the path to becoming law.

The smoking ban Bill is expected to pass but it looks like Mr Sunak will suffer a Tory revolt over the plan.

The Rwanda Bill debate should get underway in the Lords at about 4pm while the vote on the smoking ban should take place at 7pm.


09:08 AM BST

Pictured: Lord Cameron arrives in Downing Street for weekly Cabinet meeting

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, is pictured today arriving in Downing Street
Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, is pictured today arriving in Downing Street - Yui Mok /PA

09:04 AM BST

Whitehall had EU ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ after Brexit, claims Truss

Whitehall had a case of EU “Stockholm Syndrome” after Brexit because it was so used to being a “supplicant” to Brussels, Liz Truss has said.

The former prime minister said that officials were used to “looking to Brussels for validation” and that needed to change.

Stockholm Syndrome describes a situation in which a captive develops positive feelings towards their captor.

Ms Truss told Nigel Farage during an interview on GB News: “Given that we have decided to leave the European Union, the consequence of that is we need to become more dynamic, more nimble, more competitive. We need to get rid of all the EU laws straight away.

“We need to get on with doing trade deals with our allies. We made a decision and that has huge consequences.

“We’ve had a Whitehall that’s been shaped by being in Europe, essentially supplicants to Europe, and it’s almost like Stockholm Syndrome… officials are constantly looking to Brussels for validation and all of that needed to change.”


08:49 AM BST

Minister: Smoking ban is ‘very sensible policy’

A Home Office minister who took up smoking at the age of 12 said she would back the plan to ban young people from ever legally being able to buy cigarettes.

Laura Farris rejected the criticism of the plan from some senior Tories including former prime ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, telling LBC: “I think this is a very, very sensible policy and I’m not particularly interested in arguments about freedom on this one.”

The minister said: “It took me years and years and years to quit. It’s one of my biggest regrets, actually. I’ve got two young kids now and the fact that they will never be able to walk into a shop and buy a packet of cigarettes is something I welcome.

“I have never met a single smoker who’s glad they did it, wishes that their children do it, can identify a single health benefit or any other life benefit.

“It gets you hooked. It’s a horrible habit. And even when you’re doing it, you know that you’re causing yourself irreparable harm. And it’s incredibly difficult to get off.”


08:36 AM BST

Polling expert: Nearly two-thirds of public back smoking ban

There is “really significant” public support for Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban, a think tank expert and pollster has said as MPs prepare to vote on the Prime Minister’s proposals later today.

Luke Tryl, the UK director of More in Common, said support for Mr Sunak’s plan, which includes a year-on-year increase in the smoking age, was particularly high among 2019 Tory backers.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The top line finding is there is really significant support for this phased smoking ban. We find that nearly two-thirds of the public back a ban and what’s particularly interesting is among those who voted Conservative in 2019, support is even higher, 71 per cent of that group back a ban.

“It’s got really significant support among those voters that the Conservatives desperately need to get hold of. There’s this myth that has emerged that the public are pseudo-libertarians… people like the Government taking tough measures, particularly on public health and particularly on things that affect children and young people.

“If you ask people about a general smoking ban, they say I’m not sure how that’s enforceable, I’m not sure about how it’s going to work. But the idea of doing it for the future generations, this idea that it’s a phased ban… This measure that the Government is putting forward is particularly popular.”


08:25 AM BST

Use education and tax to curb smoking, argues Tory MP

There is “more than one way to crack a nut”, Sir Simon Clarke said as he said smoking should be curbed through taxation and education rather than prohibition.

The senior Tory MP told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “In the end we are sent to Parliament to make decisions and to follow our conscience and this is a conscience vote for the Conservative Party.

“I don’t think that this is the right way to go about stopping the next generation from smoking.

“That is a laudable goal but there is more than one way to crack a nut and I think that it is far better for us to focus on education and the tax system as tools to stop people from smoking than trying to introduce bans.”


08:16 AM BST

Smoking ban is unconservative, says ex-Cabinet minister

A ban on smoking is unconservative, Sir Simon Clarke said this morning as he set out his opposition to Rishi Sunak’s plan.

Sir Simon, a senior Tory MP and former Cabinet minister, said he believed the ban on young people smoking could end up being the “thin end of a wedge” which leads to other unhealthy things being banned.

It was suggested to Sir Simon during an interview on BBC Radio 4 Today that people would have used the same arguments against the ban on smoking in pubs.

But he said: “I think there is quite a significant difference between saying that it shouldn’t happen indoors, in pubs and clubs, and then the state saying outright you cannot do something.

“Philosophically I think that is an undesirable place for us to be because I think we ought to be talking in terms of both education and using the tax system to deter young people from starting smoking.

“I don’t think that an outright ban is a Conservative thing to do. I think it is the thin end of a wedge which once allowed in will then start to spiral to lots of other things, so let’s have an outright ban on fast food or an outright ban on alcohol. Once you start on the business of stopping people from doing things which are unhealthy for them that is the definition of a slippery slope.”


08:09 AM BST

Sunak’s ban ‘risks making smoking cooler’, warns Sir Simon Clarke

Rishi Sunak’s plan to introduce a phased ban on smoking risks making it “cooler”, a former Cabinet minister has warned.

Sir Simon Clarke argued the ban could fuel a black market and create an “unmanageable challenge for the authorities” to enforce it.

The former levelling up secretary made the comments as MPs prepare to debate and vote on Mr Sunak’s plan for the first time later today.

Mr Sunak’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill will make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after Jan 1 2009.

Asked if he was sceptical of the ban or downright opposed to it, Sir Simon told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “Both sceptical and downright opposed, I think it’s fair to say, because the truth is that we all agree that smoking is a very bad thing and that no young person ought to start.

“That is something which I think the science is unequivocal on, anyone who has spent any time talking, as I have, to doctors in the NHS about this will be in no doubt of the social and economic and health consequences of smoking.

“But there are good ways to tackle a problem like this and then there are bad ways and I think that an outright ban risks being counterproductive, I think it actually risks making smoking cooler, it certainly risks creating a black market, and it also risks creating an unmanageable challenge for the authorities.”