Science minister’s vote against smoking ban ‘hard to believe’

Researchers question Andrew Griffith’s “strange” decision to vote against government on phase-out of tobacco

The decision by science minister Andrew Griffith to vote against plans to introduce a generational ban on smoking has been branded “strange” and “hard to believe” by researchers.

On 16 April, MPs voted on legislation that would stop anyone born after 2009 from ever legally buying cigarettes in the UK. The proposal has received enthusiastic backing from scientists, with the government’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty calling on MPs not to oppose it.