APPG on Smoking and Health MPs out in force to support the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Members of the cross-party group of MPs committed to addressing smoking yesterday [26 November 2024] joined forces to make the case for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill as it was debated at second reading. The APPG on Smoking and Health has a strong cross-party tradition. It has long championed tobacco control as a non-partisan, vital health issue.

The Bill passed with an overwhelming majority of MPs voting for it: 415 in favour and 47 against.[1] The vote reflected public support for creating a smokefree generation, which is high among voters of the three main political parties.

In the debate, Bob Blackman MP (Conservative), Co-Chairman of the APPG, walked MPs through the many successes of the APPG in pushing for tobacco control measures and spoke of his lived experience and the loss of his parents: “This, for me, is personal as well as political.”

He asked the Secretary of State to meet with the APPG to discuss a polluter pays levy, arguing: “There is a way to raise revenue by passing the cost directly to tobacco companies, those that are responsible for the blight on our population’s health and wealth.”

He also pressed the minister on funding, in particular for the financial incentive scheme for pregnant women. He noted the progress in smoking rates in pregnant women under the Conservatives, with: “the biggest single drop in maternal smoking rates since records began, from 8.8% to 7.3%” in 2023. He urged the minister to continue funding the scheme to: “ensure that every baby gets the best possible start in life.”

Mary Foy MP (Labour), Co-Chair of the APPG, highlighted: “The range of diseases caused by smoking is extraordinary, from stillbirths, through to asthma in children, heart disease, stroke, dementia in old age, poor mental health, and of course, many, many cancers.”

She added: “It will never cease to amaze me that there are people in this place who are happy to be lobbied by the tobacco companies—including, I am guessing, the shadow Secretary of State—some of whom we have heard from already, knowing full well the damage caused to individuals, families and communities, as well as to our health services,” and urged the Minister to make a statement on protecting policy from tobacco industry influence.

She concluded by arguing that: “Public health initiatives to tackle smoking are remarkably good value for money, and that failing to fund efforts to tackle smoking is a false economy,” highlighting the fantastic work of Fresh in her region.

Jim Dickson MP (Labour), Vice Chair of the APPG, spoke about the inequalities caused by smoking, noting that: “No matter where we are in the country, we will hear the same stories of loved ones lost too soon, of people becoming addicted as children and of the most disadvantaged groups bearing the heaviest burden. We cannot, and must not, accept a situation in which more than 74,000 deaths a year are attributable to smoking.”

He told MPs that: “We should be proud that, once the Bill receives Royal Assent, it will be the most advanced legislation of its kind in the world.”

He also spoke of how: "Councils across the country have used the pavement licensing system to create smokefree outdoor spaces” and that it has: “proved popular with businesses and customers, particularly families with children,” arguing for the Bill to allow more freedom at a local level on smokefree places.

Dr. Beccy Cooper MP (Labour) argued that: “This is an addiction, not a choice; better by far not to start this destructive habit in the first place,” and praised her public health colleagues for their hard work: “I am delighted to see the evidence and data provided by my profession working in synergy with this Government’s policy development to bring forward a Bill that will allow our young people to enjoy healthier futures and allow us all to live in a healthier environment.”

Minister Andrew Gwynne responded to the APPG’s questions and paid tribute to the passion of Bob Blackman MP and Mary Foy MP for their work over the year with the APPG.

The Minister confirmed that all tobacco products would be covered by the bill, closing the previous loopholes raised by Bob Blackman.

He also made a clear statement on industry lobbying, stating: “The new Labour government takes very seriously its obligations as a party to the WHO FCTC, and we remain fully committed to the convention. This includes the important commitment under 5.3 to protect public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.”

He concluded by saying “As the Minister for public health, I am determined to end the cycle of poverty and ill health, the blight of addition, disease and despair caused by smoking.”

ENDS

Notes to the Editor
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Smoking and Health is a cross-party group of Peers and MPs which was founded in 1976 and is currently chaired by Bob Blackman CBE MP.

The secretariat of the group is provided by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) a health charity working to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco use, which receives funding for its programme of work from Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

References
[1] https://votes.parliament.uk/vo...

Hansard entry for the debate: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-11-26/debates/6BDDB4B2-ECAD-4540-992E-ECA12F9A1924/TobaccoAndVapesBill