The government’s plan to ban disposable vapes by next summer has already been trashed by free-market wonks and industry insiders. Even the government’s own impact assessment admits the ban will lead “29% of current [vapers] will either revert/re-lapse to smoking tobacco”. Now it turns out no one from the Department of Health and Social Care has met with vaping industry representatives…
Despite Labour passing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and vapes being NHS-prescribed to help smokers quit, the DHSC’s 3,540 staffers – including Secretary of State Wes Streeting – have yet to meet with industry insiders. So much for Labour’s lofty promises to to consult “with all interested parties before any future vaping regulations are introduced”. Up in smoke…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”
