i morning briefing: What the smoking ban vote says about Sunak’s leadership

Welcome to Wednesday’s Early Edition from i.

It should have been a moment of victory for the Prime Minister. A very comfortable majority in the Commons voted in favour last night of his flagship Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to ban young people – anyone born after 1 January 2009 – from ever smoking. It has been a key policy for the PM. Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in October he said it was right to act to end “the biggest cause of preventable death and disease in our country”. But instead, the vote has re-ignited divisions in the Tory party, and with it, talk of a leadership contest. Despite holding it as a “free vote”, meaning MPs could vote in line with their conscience, instead of in line with their party, a large number of rebellious Tories still managed to deliver a blow to the PM. Those opposed to the bill included Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch who said the law would “treat legally competent adults differently”. Former PM Liz Truss, who has been busy making her own headlines this week, claimed such a law would “limit people’s freedom”. What is going on, and what does it tell us about the fight to replace the PM? We’ll take a look, after the headlines.

 Today’s news, and why it matters

 Pressure is growing on Britain to lead other European countries by banning Iran’s state-owned airline over its links to Tehran’s senior military commanders and evidence that the flag carrier is involved in ferrying weaponry to Russia for use against Ukraine. Iran Air currently operates a thrice-weekly Airbus A330 service from London Heathrow to Tehran as part of a roster of flights to eight European destinations.

Several of the UK’s biggest retailers have demanded answers from major clothing firms Under Armour and Columbia about allegations of forced labour in their supply chains. Marks and Spencer, Next, John Lewis, Harrods and JD Sports have asked the US companies for information on the suicide of a mistreated worker at a factory in Jordan, revealed by an i investigation.

Rishi Sunak has warned Benjamin Netanyahu that it is a moment for “calm heads to prevail” as Western allies try to persuade the Israeli PM not to inflame the Middle East with military strikes on Iran. The Prime Ministers spoke to his Israeli counterpart on Tuesday afternoon, more than two days after the RAF helped thwart an unprecedented Iranian drone and missile attack.

Sainsbury’s, Asda and other supermarkets are funding a group that is lobbying MPs to block a ban on disposable vapes and water down regulations, i can reveal. The retailers are members of the Association of Convenience Stores, a trade body, which wrote to MPs urging them to raise its concerns about the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in its first debate.

Rishi Sunak and senior Tories have condemned attempts by Belgian police to shut down an event hosting right wing conservatives in Brussels as “extremely disturbing” and “chilling”. Police came under severe criticism after they attempted to cancel a National Conservatism conference which was attended by former home secretary Suella Braverman and ex-Ukip leader Nigel Farage.

The reason Liz Truss is selling her book harder than any of her PM predecessors. While Ms Truss has been on a UK media blitz to promote her new memoir, many believe her real target is to grow her influence in US right-wing circles, writes Adam Sherwin.

Three questions on Sunak’s smoking laws:

What is the proposed law? If implemented, England would become the first country in the world to fully ban the sale of cigarettes and tobacco for future generations. It would raise the legal age for smoking by one year every year, meaning that those born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to legally buy cigarettes, as well as on-the-spot fines of £100 for people who sell cigarettes or vapes to children. Sunak previously said: “This important change will save thousands of lives and billions of pounds for our NHS, freeing up new resources that can be spent to improve outcomes for patients right across the UK.” The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is said to have been inspired by New Zealand, whose previous Labour government brought in a ban on anyone born after 2008 from purchasing tobacco. However, the law has since been repealed by the country’s coalition government. Many Conservatives, including those on the libertarian wing, have expressed concern that the bill goes too far by banning adults from buying tobacco. However his bill is likely to pass with Labour support later this year. Read more on the law and how it compares to other countries, here.

What does it tell us about the Tory party and Rishi Sunak’s leadership? If nothing else, Tuesday night’s vote was a blow to the PM’s authority, and a particularly painful one given a general election looms. The opposition from within his party also highlights the “huge philosophical divide that exists among the Tories”. As Hugo Gye writes: “For many Conservative MPs, the party is the defender of liberty or it is nothing: knowing that Labour is always likely to push regulation forwards, they see the need to drag that regulatory frontier back. It does not help that Mr Sunak sometimes seems unsure as to what he stands for himself: is he a revolutionary force, overturning a failed consensus, or the agent of stability? Either way, too many of his MPs are not listening any more” Read his full piece here. The fact that it allowed the right wing of the party to be particularly vocal may also be a sign of things to come when there is a leadership contest. As Anne McElvoy notes: “This has become the latest in a series of dividing lines, intended to shape the leadership contest after a Tory defeat. In short, if Sunak was for something, a lot of people who either want revenge for losing out to him or who want to succeed him scent an opportunity to draw the dividing line as a defence of freedom from the ‘nanny state’, rather than a calculus of harms and benefits of changing the law. It has, as one veteran MP voting in favour of a ban puts it laconically, ‘become the new thing to shout about’.” Read her piece here. With Liz Truss doing endless media rounds promoting her book, some may also be wondering whether the Tories could be on the brink of lurching back to her brand of politics. But what may even be more telling about the current state of democracy is the reaction to her ideas, writes Kate McCann, who says the response her suggestions “has been almost universally to scoff and shrug them off, in turn proving Truss’s own claim that Westminster has lost the ability to consider things which don’t strike it as obvious, to its own detriment.” Read that piece, here.

The ban would mean children currently aged 15 or younger will never be able to legally buy cigarettes (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

Around the world

 A large-scale Israeli attack on Iranian territory could accelerate the country’s drive for nuclear weapons, according to regional security experts. Israel’s government is considering options for retaliation after Iran’s unprecedented aerial barrage at the weekend, with foreign governments urging restraint to limit escalation that could yet extend Tehran’s nuclear programme.

A year’s worth of rain unleashed immense flash flooding in Dubai as roads turned into rivers and rushing water inundated homes and businesses. Dramatic video showed the tarmac of Dubai International Airport – the second-busiest airport in the world – underwater.

North Korea is genetically engineering the ingredients for biological armaments to produce bacteria, viruses and toxins as part of a germ warfare programme, the United States has said.

Even whales in the deepest parts of the ocean, many miles from the nearest town or city, are under threat from humans, a study has found. Scientists discovered that, despite their remote offshore location and remarkable diving abilities, beaked whales are being affected by 14 different human activities – with climate change, entanglement in fishing gear and plastic pollution the biggest threats.

A pilot and his dog survived a plane crash off the California coast, swimming to shore where they were met by authorities responding to the incident. The plane crashed off the coast across from the Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles, in Ranchos Palos Verdes.

 Watch out for…

 More wrangling over the Rwanda bill after Lords gave the controversial policy a fresh beating. 

 Thoughts for the day

 Donald Trump falling asleep in court is the first dent in his presidential campaign. He is a man accustomed to doing what he wants, writes James Ball.

I regret not telling my friend I’d fallen for them – but not for the reasons you’d think. It’s what we learn about ourselves in the process that truly matters, says Kuba Shand-Baptiste.

The first cuckoo in spring – Liz Truss has ‘unfinished business’. ‘I have bought a 10-metre roll of kitchen foil and will spend the rest of the week making hats for you,’ offers Oliver Duff.

Former prime minister Liz Truss considers herself unlucky to have lost power (Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Culture Break

 Helen Lederer: ‘Rik Mayall warned me not to crash his laughs’. Wandering hands, obscene hecklers, strict rationing of parts for funny women – in her new book, Helen Lederer recalls what it was like to be a female comedian in the 80s

Comedian Helen Lederer (Photo: Tony Woolliscroft)

The Big Read

 Bungling councils sell properties for millions under market value. As the Government prepares to allow all councils in England to sell property assets to help fund key local services, doubts over the ability of local authorities to gain best value for council tax payers are rising.

Councils in Middlesbrough and Bolton have faced criticism after claims they sold properties under market value

Sport

 Team GB’s Kye Whyte: ‘I trained more for Dancing on Ice than the Olympics’. The Olympic silver medallist on his friendship with Arsenal stars, gearing up for Paris 2024 and giving back to the local community.

Kye Whyte won a silver medal at Tokyo 2020 (Photo: Getty)

Something to brighten your day

 I’ve reported on property for 20 years, here’s how to buy in a tricky market. Buying a home can be an anxious process – here’s what you can do to make it easier, according to Jessie Hewitson.

Jessie, pictured with her husband, in her first flat (photo: supplied)