It’s the King’s Speech tomorrow and all of Westminster can barely contain itself. A new monarch might be on the throne, but the usual pre-briefing game hasn’t changed, with press stories aplenty as to the draft laws that are likely to be included. One bill that is set to be announced tomorrow is legislation to implement the gradual smoking ban announced by Rishi Sunak at this year’s Conservative Party conference.
Much has been made of the public’s support for such a move, but if Sunak hopes it will energise his base, he ought to think again. For polling of 696 members by the Tory news site ConservativeHome suggests that the generation smoking ban was the least important of ten issues floated for inclusion in the King’s Speech. Some 57 per cent of those polled ranked it as ‘very unimportant,’ with the measure proving less popular than reform of the Mental Health Act or even Sunak’s mooted ‘Advanced British Standard’ qualification to merge A-Levels and T-Levels. Indeed, only three per cent of members believe the party should focus more on social policies – like lifestyle interventions – than economic ones like tax and spend.
It’s not just a question of priorities either. Some 61 per cent of Conservative members oppose Sunak’s plan to gradually increase the age at which people can buy tobacco, in contrast to the 30 per cent who support it. Nearly three quarters (74 per cent) believe that at the age of 18, a person should assume all the rights and responsibilities associated with being an adult. And almost four in five (79 per cent) expressed concerns about a potential increase in illegal or smuggled tobacco products if adults were prohibited from buying these products.
Given the opposition from his own party members, Sunak will just hope his public health aspirations don’t go up in smoke…
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