What is Rishi Sunak’s anti-smoking bill and will it pass?
Rishi Sunak’s tobacco and vapes bill aims to create the UK’s first smoke-free generation, in a landmark public health intervention.
As well as raising the smoking age every year, the legislation includes provisions to regulate the display, contents, flavours and packaging of vapes and nicotine products.A final vote in the Lords is expected to take place in the middle of June after the bill passes its third reading there, but much has to happen in the Commons first.There was opposition from 57 Conservative MPs and six ministers, including Badenoch, Julia Lopez, Lee Rowley, Alex Burghart, Steve Baker and Andrew Griffith.The Commons leader, Penny Mordaunt was reported to be wavering but in the end abstained, one of 106 Tory MPs who did not cast a vote.While peers have been a block on Sunak’s flagship Rwanda deportation plan, they are not expected, ultimately, to stand in the way of the tobacco bill.