Labour has been accused of planting made-up scenarios about nine-year-olds vaping in UK schools to help back up its new smoking and vapes crackdown.
A range of pre-scripted statements and questions were reportedly sent to the party’s MPs ahead of a crucial vote on the controversial Tobacco and Vapes Bill last week.
Labour’s backbenchers appear to have been pressed to say they have personal experience of the harm that vapes are causing children as young as nine - despite the examples having been drafted by party officials.
The generic statements contained blank spaces to be filled in by whichever MP was reading them.
Drafted by Wes Streeting’s advisers
The tactic was revealed as MPs debated the new Bill at its crunch second reading in the Commons on Tuesday.
One “suggested intervention” was: “I’ve been speaking to primary school head teachers in [constituency] who have shared with me that children as young as 9 have taken up vaping.
“Does the Minister agree with me that it is high time that we cracked down on brightly coloured, fruit flavoured, cheaply available vapes being marketed at our children?”
The scripted questions were sent round in a briefing note - seen by The Sun newspaper - that was drafted by advisers for Health Secretary Wes Streeting. While it is thought that no Labour MP gave the specific example above, the pressure by the party for them to do so sparked outrage.
Reform party deputy leader Richard Tice said: “Labour is forcing its MPs to make up fake questions. It is a reflection of the low quality of their MPs that they cannot be trusted to write their own questions.”
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill flew through its first major Commons hurdle with MPs voting overwhelmingly in favour at 415 votes to 47.
The proposed legislation will now continue to the Committee and Report stages, where it will undergo further scrutiny before MPs vote on it again at a later date.
The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said the government was "proud of its landmark legislation".
If the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is passed, the UK will become the first country in the world to make it illegal for anyone born in 2009 or after to ever buy cigarettes or tobacco.
The Government will also be given powers to extend the existing indoor smoking ban to some outdoor settings such as children’s playgrounds, and outside schools and hospitals.
Crackdown on vaping
The Bill also comes down heavily on vaping. It proposes a ban on all flavours that are considered to be targeted at children and young people. This includes sweet flavours like cotton candy, bubble gum and cola - but also fruit, which is the most popular among smokers trying to quit.
Manufacturers of vapes will be required to use plain, “less visually appealing” packaging and shops will have to move them out of sight of children and away from products that might appeal to them such as sweets.
Advertising and sponsorship of vapes, as well as selling them in vending machines, will also be banned.
The Bill will introduce a new on-the-spot fine of £200 to help Trading Standards officers enforce offences such as under age sales.
Disposable vapes are to be banned from June 1, 2025, under separate legislation brought by the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs.
A ‘confusing message’
Meanwhile, health professionals have warned the new Bill could send a confusing message to smokers wanting to switch to less harmful vaping.
Caitlin Notley, Professor of Addiction Sciences in the Lifespan Health Research Centre at University of East Anglia, said: “It is very important that smokefree legislation does not include vaping. Vaping is a harm reduction approach for adult smokers trying to quit smoking.
Policies that deal with smoking and vaping in the same way send a very confusing message. In our smoking cessation trial in hospital emergency departments, patients found it easier to switch to vaping in contexts where they were supported to do so, such as smoke-free but ‘vape friendly’ NHS sites.”
She added: “Through our work we know that young people can easily get hold of illicit black-market products – a ban may fuel black-market sales, which is a real concern as we have no control over unregulated products.
“Banning products may also confuse people about relative harms. We have to focus on the immense harms to health caused by tobacco smoking and avoid putting people off switching to less harmful alternatives, such as vaping.”
Have your say
The government is now calling for people with “relevant expertise and experience or a special interest in the Bill” to provide their views in writing. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into account.
The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee is expected to be on Tuesday 7 January 2025 and the Committee will report the Bill by 5pm on Thursday 30 January 2025.
Your views along with any relevant evidence should be sent to scrutiny@parliament.uk. Further guidance on what to include can be found here.
You might want to explain, for example, how vaping helped you to quit smoking and how the Bill as it stands would affect you.
