Labour would revive Rishi Sunak’s plans to ban young people from ever being able to legally smoke after they failed to become law ahead of the General Election, a shadow minister has said.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was not included in the legislation that was rushed through by MPs ahead of Parliament being prorogued on Friday (24), during a period known as “wash-up.”
Asked if Labour would reintroduce it, shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said, “If we’re elected we will make that happen and make it less likely that young people will smoke than vote Tory.”
The Prime Minister, who surprised many in Westminster by calling a summer election earlier this week, said he was “disappointed” that the law would not make it on to the statute books before the July 4 vote.
The Bill would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1 2009, with the aim of creating a “smoke-free” generation, and had been seen as a key test of his personal legacy.
Speaking to reporters on the campaign trail on Friday (24), he said the legislation was “evidence of the bold action that I’m prepared to take”.
He added, “That’s the type of Prime Minister I am. That’s the type of leadership that I bring.”
Under the proposed law, each year the legal age for cigarette sales - currently 18 - will increase by one year. It means that people born in or after 2009 will never be able to legally buy cigarettes.
The law will not affect those who are already allowed to buy cigarettes.
To crack down on under-age tobacco and vape sales, the government says it will introduce £100 on-the-spot fines for shops in England and Wales which flout the law. Local authorities will retain the proceeds to reinvest into enforcement of the law. This will be on top of £2,500 fines that courts can already impose.
