Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban bill set to be scrapped due to election

Rishi Sunak’s flagship bill to eventually ban smoking looks set to be scrapped after he called a snap general election in July.

The prime minister did not guarantee that the law would be passed before Parliament closes for Friday’s elections.

Talks between the government and opposition parties on bills to be rushed through are underway.

The Labor Party has already pledged to impose the ban if it wins power in the election on Thursday July 4.

Mr Sunak also remains committed to creating a “tobacco-free generation” and the ban is likely to feature in the Conservative agenda.

The proposed law would prevent anyone born after 2009 from legally smoking by gradually raising the minimum age to buy cigarettes from the current level of 18.

In an update to MPs, Commons leader Penny Mordaunt did not include the bill among those expected to be debated before Friday.

Speaking to BBC Wales, Mr Sunak refused to say whether the bill would be included.

“I will do everything I can to move these things forward, but it depends on the cooperation of other parties,” he added.

The bill only began making its way through the House of Commons last month. It has not yet been debated in the House of Lords, making it more difficult to pass quickly.

According to the government’s plan, the age increase is not expected to begin until 2027. This will not affect those who can currently buy cigarettes.

A victims’ bill, which authorizes payments to those affected by the infected blood scandal, is expected to pass under the fast-track process for approving bills, known as “cleanup.”

Legislation to compensate victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal will be considered and is also expected to be approved.

But bills that are under threat include legislation to deliver on a Conservative manifesto promise to ban “no-fault” deportations in England and to set up a regulator for English football.

Mr Sunak highlighted the smoking ban in his speech announcing Wednesday’s election, a sign it would feature in the Conservatives’ election manifesto.

He said: “We will ensure that the next generation grows up smoke-free. »

It would have ultimately made the UK the first country in the world to ban adults from buying tobacco and would have been seen as a political legacy for Mr Sunak if the Conservatives are not re-elected.