The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, free votes, double insistence and Lord David Owen's view of David Cameron and Nigel Farage

News

Tobacco and Vapes Bill: free vote blows smoke in Rishi Sunak's eyes - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 30

19 Apr 2024

©Adobe Stock/Kenishirotie

Rishi Sunak offered his MPs a free vote on his flagship Tobacco and Vapes Bill and dozens concluded they could not support it. As well as exploring the politics of the Bill, Ruth and Mark discuss the concept of a free vote and how they have been deployed in previous parliamentary sessions.

LISTEN

They denounced them at the time, but should Labour Ministers now use the sweeping powers Conservative Ministers have given themselves in this Parliament – for example, in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 - to push through a Labour Government’s agenda in the next? Former adviser to the last Labour Government, John McTernan, has suggested

And we talk to former Foreign Secretary, Lord David Owen who during House of Lords questions this week asked his successor, Lord Cameron, about the prospects for closer co-operation with the French Government over nuclear weapons strategy. It turns out there was a diplomatic initiative behind the question, involving a former French Foreign Secretary. We ask Lord Owen how he thinks Lord Cameron is doing in his old job, and whether he thinks it’s possible to do the job from the House of Lords not the Commons.

← Back to Parliament Matters homepage

Listen on our YouTube channel (autocaptioned)

What we talked about on this episode

What is the purpose of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill?
How did Conservative MPs divide on a free vote on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill? What is a free vote?
What is parliamentary ping-pong?
What is double insistence during the legislative process?
Should a future Labour Government make extensive use of sweeping Ministerial powers to push policy through quickly without regard to Parliament?
Is Lord Cameron proving to be an effective Foreign Secretary?
Can a Foreign Secretary really do the job if they are based in the House of Lords not the House of Commons
Why has the Government rejected the Procedure Committee’s recommendations for Lord Cameron to appear at the ‘bar of the House’ of Commons to answer MPs questions?

Parliament Matters is supported by a grant from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, a Quaker trust which engages in philanthropy and supports work on democratic accountability.

Our guest

The Rt Hon. the Lord Owen CH

Lord Owen served as Foreign Secretary from 1977 to 1979 under Prime Minister James Callaghan. He was a Labour MP from 1966 until 1981, when he left the Labour Party to found the Social Democratic Party alongside the three other members of the "Gang of Four". He opted not to join the Liberal Democrats when it was created in 1988 following a merger of the SDP and Liberal Party. Since 1992, Lord Owen has been a member of the House of Lords, where he sat as a crossbencher until 2014, after which he sat as an Independent Social Democrat. He acted as the EU's representative during the Bosnian peace process from 1993 until 1995.

Resources

Hansard Society

House of Commons Library

House of Commons Procedure Committee

Commons scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report

Financial Times

Starmer should use powers the Tories will leave behind

Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There are consequently minor errors and the text is not formatted according to our style guide. If you wish to reference or cite the transcript copy below, please first check against the audio version above. Timestamps are provided above each paragraph.

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:34:17 You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society Production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm. Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox and I'm Mark D’Arcy. Coming up, smoke gets in Rishi Sunak's eyes as his personal initiative, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, splits Conservative MPs in half. 00:00:34:19 - 00:01:05:11 They denounced them at the time, but should Labour ministers now use the sweeping powers Tory ministers have given themselves in this parliament to push through a Labour government's agenda in the next. And we ask a former Foreign Secretary how Lord Cameron is doing in his old job.

But first the Tobacco and Vapes Bill caused all kinds of problems for Rishi Sunak.

Use the links below to subscribe to the Hansard Society's Parliament Matters podcast on your preferred app, or search for 'Parliament Matters' on whichever podcasting service you use. If you are unable to find our podcast, please email us here.

Apple

YouTube Podcasts

Spotify

More ways to subscribe

Parliament Matters homepage

Latest / Highlights

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 23-27 June 2025

MPs will debate the spending plans (Main Estimates) of six government departments and approve all departmental spending for this financial year. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones MP will answer questions from the Treasury Committee on the Spending Review, and the Governor of the Bank of England will discuss the state of the economy with the Lords Economic Affairs Committee. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his ministerial team will face questions from MPs in the Chamber. The Foreign Affairs Committee will hear from the Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, about the conflict with Iran. There will be backbench debates on Pride Month and Armed Forces Day. And experts will be asked whether the earth is prepared for an asteroid collision.

News / Assisted dying bill: Special series #14 - MPs back assisted dying bill in historic vote

This week, we reflect on a landmark moment in UK parliamentary history: the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has passed its Third Reading in the House of Commons, moving one step closer to legalising assisted dying in England and Wales. We are joined once again by former House of Commons Clerk Paul Evans to examine how this Private Member’s Bill navigated the political and procedural obstacles in its path and to explore what lies ahead in the House of Lords. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

Guides / How does Parliament approve Government spending? A procedural guide to the Estimates process

In order to incur expenditure the Government needs to obtain approval from Parliament for its departmental spending plans. The annual Estimates cycle is the means by which the House of Commons controls the Government’s plans for the spending of money raised through taxation.

Blog / What role does Parliament play in the Spending Review?

The UK Spending Review outlines how Government funds will be allocated over several years. Unlike the Budget, which raises revenue, the Review decides how it is spent. But how is it approved? What role does Parliament play if it doesn’t vote on the Review itself? This blog explores how the Spending Review works, how it differs from the Budget, and how Parliament holds the Government to account through the Estimates process.

Submissions / Parliamentary scrutiny of treaties - Our evidence to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee

Our evidence on treaty scrutiny has been published by the House of Lords International Agreements Committee. Our submission outlines the problems with the existing framework for treaty scrutiny and why legislative and cultural change are needed to improve Parliament's scrutiny role. Our evidence joins calls for a parliamentary consent vote for the most significant agreements, a stronger role for Parliament in shaping negotiating mandates and monitoring progress, and a sifting committee tasked with determining which agreements warrant the greatest scrutiny.