Sunak’s ban ‘dangers making smoking cooler’ | EUROtoday

Rishi Sunak’s plan to introduce a phased ban on smoking dangers making it “cooler”, a former Cabinet minister has warned.

Sir Simon Clarke argued the ban may gasoline a black market and create an “unmanageable challenge for the authorities” to implement it.

The former levelling up secretary made the feedback as MPs put together to debate and vote on Mr Sunak’s plan for the primary time later at present.

Mr Sunak’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill will make it unlawful to promote tobacco merchandise to anybody born after Jan 1 2009.

Asked if he was sceptical of the ban or downright against it, Sir Simon instructed the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “Both sceptical and downright opposed, I think it’s fair to say, because the truth is that we all agree that smoking is a very bad thing and that no young person ought to start.

“That is something which I think the science is unequivocal on, anyone who has spent any time talking, as I have, to doctors in the NHS about this will be in no doubt of the social and economic and health consequences of smoking.

“But there are good ways to tackle a problem like this and then there are bad ways and I think that an outright ban risks being counterproductive, I think it actually risks making smoking cooler, it certainly risks creating a black market, and it also risks creating an unmanageable challenge for the authorities.”