UK Parliament to discuss progressive anti-smoking laws

Opinion polls show that around two-thirds of Britons support a phased ban on smoking.

Britain’s parliament will hold its first debate on Tuesday on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to legislate to prevent young people from smoking, despite opposition from many in his own Conservative Party.

The law would ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009, effectively raising the smoking age by one year each year until it applies to the entire population.

Unveiling the plan, the government said it “has the potential to almost completely phase out smoking among young people as early as 2040”, calling the move “historic”.

Although the law looks set to be passed thanks to opposition support, Sunak faces opposition from Tory backbenchers.

The embattled leader has little political capital to invest within his fractured party as he struggles to revive its fortunes after months of dire poll results.

Conservative MP Simon Clarke told BBC radio he was “both skeptical and completely opposed” to the plans.

“I think an outright ban could be counterproductive, it could make smoking cooler, it certainly has the potential to create a black market and it could also create challenges for authorities that would be difficult to control,” he said.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson also told an event in Canada last week that Winston Churchill’s party was “crazy” for banning cigars.

However, polls show that around two-thirds of Britons support a phased ban on smoking.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)