Smoking ban passes subsequent stage in historic milestone – how your MP voted

Landmark plans to ban young people from ever being able to smoke have passed a major parliamentary hurdle.

MPs voted in favour of the world-leading Tobacco and Vapes Bill by 415 to 47, majority 368, at second reading. The legislation will prevent anyone turning 15 this year – those born on or after 1 January 2009 – from ever being able to legally buy tobacco products. It will also clamp down on youth vaping.

Proposals include to end the sale of vape flavours that overtly appeal to children – such as bubble gum, gummy bear and cotton candy – and a crackdown on brightly coloured packaging. New on-the-spot £200 fines will also be introduced to tackle underage sales of vapes.

See how your MP voted below using our searchable widget

The Bill will also provide powers to extend the indoor smoking ban to specific outdoor spaces. In England bans in children’s playgrounds, outside schools and hospitals are all being considered, subject to consultation.

Rishi Sunak had proposed similar plans to effectively raise the legal age of smoking by one year every year but they were scrapped when he called the general election. The vote marks the first time the new cohort of MPs have had their say on the smoking ban.

Keir Starmer this summer considered making his plans even stronger by including a ban on smoking in pub gardens and other outdoor areas. But he ditched the idea after a major backlash from the hospitality industry.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the Commons there is “no freedom in addiction”. Opening the Bill’s second reading, he said: “The Bill before the House today will raise the legal age of sale of tobacco by one year every year, creating the first smoke-free generation and eventually a smoke-free nation.

Type in your MP or your constituency using our handy widget to see how your MP voted

“The Bill will enable the Government to extend the current indoor smoking ban to certain outdoor settings, and we will consult on banning smoking outside schools, hospitals and in playgrounds, protecting children and vulnerable people from the harms of second-hand smoke. And this Bill will come down on the vaping industry like a ton of bricks to prevent a new generation of children and young people from getting hooked on nicotine.”

The debate heard opposition from the Tory benches, with MP Andrew Rosindell arguing that “banning things very rarely works”. He said: “Surely we should be promoting the concept of freedom with responsibility and allowing people to make choices about their own lives?”

Mr Streeting said tobacco is “uniquely addictive, uniquely harmful”, adding: “There is no liberty in addiction. There is no freedom in addiction, and the logical extension of the libertarian argument he puts forward would be the end of the ban on indoor smoking.”

Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death, disability and ill health in the UK. It causes around 80,000 deaths a year, causes one in four of all cancer deaths and kills up to two-thirds of its long-term users.

Smoking also costs the economy and wider society £21.8billion a year. To support current smokers to quit smoking, the Government will provide £70million for stop smoking services. This is in addition to all hospitals integrating “opt-out” smoking cessation interventions into routine care, making every clinical consultation count.

The Government will also provide an additional £10million for Trading Standards to crack down on illicit trade. The Bill will now progress to the committee and report stages where it will undergo further scrutiny before MPs vote on it again at a later date.