Archive for the ‘Policies’ Category
MPs vote to ban smoking
Tonight in the House of Commons, MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of a total ban of smoking in all enclosed public spaces. By making the decision a free vote (meaning that the party whips will not tell members which way to vote), the government has managed to avoid too much criticism about the outcome. Although the Labour manifesto originally promised a partial ban that would not affect private members’ clubs, senior government figures, including the Prime Minister, voted in favour of a total ban.
Media coverage
Total smoking ban now an option
The government has promised that the proposed changes to the law on smoking will be put to a free vote of MPs, and that a total ban on smoking in all public places will be one of the options available. Current policy is to allow smoking to continue in private clubs and pubs which do not serve food, but a split in the Cabinet has meant that a consensus cannot be reached as to which way to proceed. Other proposed measures include raising the age limit for buying tobacco products from sixteen to eighteen.
Personally I’d love to see a total ban on smoking, as I hate coming home from the pub smelling like I’ve made my way through a pack of cigarettes over the course of the evening. I disagree with the small number of Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs who think a total ban would infringe on civil liberties by stopping people from smoking in public. Banning the sale of cigarettes to people under the age of eighteen might also help curb teenage smoking, although I’ve seen children as young as thirteen buying cigarettes over the counters so I’m not sure that an increase in the age limit would make much of a difference.