‘Focus on voters’ priorities!’ MPs tell PM to ditch smoking ban after local elections
EXCLUSIVE: Tory MPs have said the PM must use the final months before the election to offer voters conservative polices.
Liz Truss comments on proposed smoking ban for youngsters
Conservative MPs have launched a new push to persuade Rishi Sunak to abandon his pet smoking ban policy, pointing to the party’s recent local election wipeout as proof voters want traditional conservative red meat.
While Mr Sunak won the Commons vote in April that will make smoking illegal for anyone born after 2009, 59 Tory rebels caused embarrassment for the Prime Minister.
Senior ministers voted against the policy, including leadership contender Kemi Badenoch, who said she had “significant concerns” about the legal implications of the ban.
She warned against the unequal rights for adults that the Bill will create, with some over the age of 18 having different freedoms to others.
Two MPs have now told the Express that Mr Sunak should see the recent local election results as proof voters want traditional conservative policies, and not the nannying left-wing smoking ban.
Greg Smith MP said: “The local election results were undeniably tough to take but we must look forward in the months we have left in order to close the gap”.
“The fact we spent so much time debating the generational ban in the month leading up to the locals was a mistake and one we must not repeat.
“The Prime Minister is a hard worker and I would urge him to really take the fight to Labour on truly conservative policies.
“There still very little enthusiasm for Labour out there and to ensure Conservative voters don't just stay at home we must focus on their actual priorities.”
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Former deputy chief whip Craig Whittaker also said the time left before the election must be used to “urgently show voters we understand their priorities”.
“We need to stop wasting time on things like generational bans and double down on the things that truly matter to people. There is still time to pull together and build momentum but we have to act now.”
Talking to Laura Kuenssberg the morning after the disastrous election defeats, Suella Braverman bemoaned that the Government had spent so much time in Parliament trying to ban smoking and ignoring voters’ real priorities.
She fumed: “They’re putting forward legislation to ban smoking and to clamp down on pedicabs!”
“We voted more on pedicabs and on banning smoking than we’ve voted on meaningful health care reform, or fixing social care, or improving mental health care!
“We are not delivering for the people, we’re not delivering the politics that people want.”
Penny Mordaunt also refused to back the policy in April’s vote, with a source close the the Cabinet Minister saying she believes the legislation to be "unworkable".
