Jake Berry among Tories to rebel on Sunak smoking ban law

The former Conservative party chair joined former Prime Minister Liz Truss in saying the move would restrict personal freedom and was unlikely to work.

Sir Jake was one of 67 MPs - including 57 Tories - who voted against the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

With 383 votes in favour, the proposal - which would prevent anyone currently aged 15 or under ever legally buying tobacco products - was given a second reading and is now set to become law.

Jake Berry said people should be allowed to make their own decisions - even bad ones

The only East Lancashire MP to support the bill was Pendle's health minister Andrew Stephenson.

Blackburn Labour MP Kate Hollern, who smokes, Hyndburn's Sara Britcliffe, who vapes, and her Burnley Tory colleague Antony Higginbotham all abstained.

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans who as a Deputy Commons Speaker chaired part of the debate, was unable to vote.

Ex-smoker Sir Jake told the Commons: "The banning of disposable vapes and preventing children from starting smoking or vaping is something that anyone with a brain would support.

"I will address my remarks as to whether banning all children who are now 15 from ever smoking is the right way to stop them smoking, as well as whether any government has a mandate on removing personal liberty.

"20 per cent of young people say they have tried cannabis. That is twice as many as the number of young people who say they have tried tobacco.

"If bans worked - cannabis is banned - no child would ever have tried cannabis. It is illegal, not just for those who are 15.

"I therefore question whether banning people who are now 15 from ever starting to smoke will work. To me, the answer is no.

"What we are really talking about today is removing from a group of people in our society the right ever to have the agency to make their own decisions.

"If we believe in freedom, we must accept people have to be free to make bad decisions as well as good ones.

"There are good bits to the bill, but we cannot allow the fact that good bits have been annexed to this terrible legislation, which in my view will not work, to force us to support it.

"When people reach the age of 18 in a free society, they must be free to choose for themselves.

"I started smoking at about 14. It was illegal when I started smoking at 14, but it did not stop me. I am a lawbreaker - how shocking."

Miss Britcliffe said: "As a former smoker myself, I have moved to vaping in order to quit smoking.

"People who are using vaping as a substitute for smoking should be consulted on what they believe should happen through this bill."

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the measure - championed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - would create a "smoke-free generation".

Critics have pointed to the ongoing use of recreational drugs, the black market it funds and the crime it causes, as an example of how banning cigarettes would not work in stopping smoking.