UK's anti-smoking laws could be lost in pre-election parliamentary rush
Adds House of Commons leader comment in 5th paragraph
LONDON, May 23 (Reuters) -Britain's proposed law to ban smoking for younger generations could be shelved after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a surprise election, putting one of his flagship policies in jeopardy as there is only limited time for bills to be made law.
Sunak on Wednesday called an election for July 4, giving the government just days to complete outstanding legislative business before parliament is dissolved on May 30.
His plan to introduce some of the world's strictest anti-smoking rules into Britain by banning anyone aged 15 and under from ever buying cigarettes was not specifically mentioned as being on the parliamentary agenda in the next few days.
In his speech calling for the election, Sunak had boasted that his government had ensured the next generation would be "smoke-free", but that promise now looks to have been made prematurely.
Penny Mordaunt, the House of Commons leader, did not list the smoking bill on Thursday in the business scheduled to be debated before parliament shuts down for the election. She said cross-party negotiations were ongoing over the future of bills not included in the schedule.
The bill had passed its first parliamentary hurdle in April despite dozens of lawmakers in Sunak's Conservative party voting against it.
"I will do everything I can to move these things forward, but it is dependent on the cooperation of other parties across parliament as well," Sunaksaid on Thursday.
Whichever party wins the next election the bill could be reintroduced as the opposition Labour Party, which is ahead in opinion polls, said it would push for a ban if forms the next government.
Reporting by Sarah Young, additional reporting by Muvija M; editing by Michael Holden
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
