MPs back smoking ban to ‘protect’ communities
TWO Tyneside MPs spoke about their hope that the new ban on buying tobacco would help to protect communities that “still suffer terribly” due to the harm smoking causes.
Labour parliamentarians Liz Twist (Blaydon) and Mary Glindon (North Tyneside) both spoke in Tuesday’s debate on the second reading of the Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill - in which they both voted in favour.
Citing statistics showing that almost one in 10 people (9.9%) in her constituency still smoke, Liz highlighted the impact of smoking on our area’s health.
She said: “Across Gateshead, the rate of smoking during pregnancy was 10.9% in 2022-23, compared with 8.8% nationally. The smoking rate among adults in different occupations showed that the more deprived areas were smoking more than those in other areas - as always, deprivation comes into these things.
“There were 688 lung cancer registrations between 2017 and 2019, and we know that smoking causes more than seven in 10 lung cancer cases. In 2019-20 there were 2,707 smoking-attributable hospital admissions in Gateshead. There were 825 emergency hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and we know that smoking is a key determinant of COPD cases.”
The Blaydon MP added: “Creating a smoke-free generation will radically level up the health and wealth of our nation, especially in regions such as the north-east.
“The north-east has traditionally had a higher prevalence of smoking than the rest of the country, although we have made very significant gains in narrowing that gap thanks to the tireless efforts of local councils and NHS trusts working together, not to mention Fresh, our brilliant regional tobacco control programme. Despite that progress, though, our communities still suffer terribly as a result of smoking.”
She said that it was essential that moves towards a “smoke-free generation” didn’t leave behind deprived communities or groups such as those with mental health conditions - where smoking rates are as high as 26% for those with depression and anxiety.
She added; “[The ban] is a major step in the right direction and will have a profound positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the next generation, but we must go further to tackle the health inequalities that continue to afflict the most disadvantaged in our communities.”
North Tyneside’s Mary Glindon also spoke in Whitehall. She said: “It is very concerning that the Government are estimated to be seven years behind their 2030 smoke-free target, and not on course to meet it in the most deprived areas of our country until 2044.”
Speaking about vaping and citing a Government figure showing it is 95% less harmful than smoking, she said the ban on sale of vapes to under-18s was essential. She added: “It is important that the regulatory measures are thoroughly assessed to ensure that they do not inadvertently hinder smoking cessation efforts and lead to an increase in tobacco-related harm.”
Mary said having seen family members - including her late husband Ray - successfully switch from smoking to vaping had shown her how useful a tool they could be.
She is an officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Responsible Vaping - and in parliament spoke about the importance of working with the vaping industry to tackle the problem of e-cigarettes being sold to children.
On Tuesday, MPs voted 383 to 67 by a majority 316 - to give the Tobacco and Vapes Bill a second reading.
The legislation, seen by the Prime Minister as a key part of his longterm legacy, would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1 2009, with the aim of creating a “smoke-free” generation.
It does not criminalise current smokers, but is aimed at preventing the harms caused by smoking, the leading causes of preventable illness and death in the UK.
Conservative MPs were given a free vote on the Bill, meaning those who voted against the Government’s position will not face punishment.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said she understood concerns about freedom of choice, and conceded Conservatives were “not in the habit of banning things”, but said there was “no liberty in addiction”.
“Nicotine robs people of their freedom to choose. The vast majority of smokers start when they are young, and three-quarters say that if they could turn back the clock they would not have started,” she added.