Parliament votes for smoking ban

In the past few minutes, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has passed its second reading by 383 votes to 67, with at least six Conservative ministers voting against the legislation. It was a free vote, but it is still a striking thing to see a cabinet minister – in this case Kemi Badenoch – going against the line set by the Prime Minister. Katy covers Badenoch’s announcement that she wasn’t joining her boss in the ‘aye’ lobby here, saying it will still disappoint No 10, and send a reminder to the party and membership where the Business Secretary stands on liberty. 

We have a full list of the MPs who voted against the bill here: Badenoch was joined by five other ministers – Steve Baker, Alex Burghart, Andrew Griffith, Julia Lopez and Lee Rowley – and in total 59 Conservatives voted against. Among their number was of course Liz Truss, whose opposition to this ban is well known.