Labour would revive Rishi Sunak’s plans to ban young people from ever being able to legally smoke after they failed to become law ahead of the General Election, a shadow minister has said.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was not included in the legislation that was rushed through by MPs ahead of Parliament being prorogued on Friday, during a period known as “wash-up.”
Asked if Labour would reintroduce it, shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said: “If we’re elected we will make that happen and make it less likely that young people will smoke than vote Tory.”
The Prime Minister, who surprised many in Westminster by calling a summer election earlier this week, said he was “disappointed” that the law would not make it onto the statute books before the July 4 vote.
But speaking to reporters on the campaign trail on Friday, he said the Bill, which was seen as a key test of his political legacy, was “evidence of the bold action that I’m prepared to take”.
“That’s the type of Prime Minister I am. That’s the type of leadership that I bring,” he said.
