Adam Afriyie was one of 58 Conservative MPs who voted against Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban in the Commons this evening.
The Tory MP argued that smoking bans “don’t work” and are “ridiculous” after Rishi Sunak’s proposal to ban young people from ever being able to legally smoke tobacco was put to a vote.
MPs voted it through 383 to 67, majority 316, to give the Tobacco and Vapes Bill a second reading.
The Prime Minister sees the legislation as a key part of his long-term legacy and would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009 – with the aim of creating a “smoke-free” generation.
It does not criminalise current smokers, but is aimed at preventing the harms caused by smoking, the leading causes of preventable illness and death in the UK.
Conservative MPs were given a free vote on the Bill, meaning those who voted against the Government’s position will not face punishment.
This allowed serving ministers, including Business Secretary and future Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch, to publicly reveal they would vote to reject the Bill.
But concerns have been raised by Byline Times journalist Adam Bienkov, who pointed out on X that Afriyie has accepted £19,000 worth of all-expense paid trips to speak at Tobacco industry conferences in the past two years.
Afriyie has also previously failed to declare his wife’s shares in a vape firm after he was seen advocated for vaping at a tobacco industry conference in South Korea – joined by senior Tufton Street figures.
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