Giles Watling MP, Member of Parliament for Clacton, has voted against the Tobacco and Vapes Bill tonight (16th April) after making a speech in the House of Commons where he questioned the effectiveness of the measures the Bill proposes.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Watling said:
"No one in Clacton has ever looked at issues locally and told me that the solution is new taxes and overly convoluted legislation.
Do we think a complex and incremental age-increasing ban is enforceable? With such weak enforcement, it is not. [...] If we want to clamp down on the very real issue of illegal cigarettes and the underage sale of vapes and cigarettes, then we need a licencing scheme in my view which properly funds Trading Standards teams and rewards those responsible business owners whilst going after the villains.
Now I could support a ban on selling these products to those under 21 or under 18 or whatever, [...] this would be preferable to a law which puts the shopkeeper in the firing line. Turfing out the 22-year-old, whilst questioning the 24-year-old and supplying the 25-year-old."
