Liz Truss blamed the ‘health police’ for the Government’s anti-smoking policy – 14 sick burns
Rishi Sunak‘s anti-smoking bill came before the Commons on Tuesday, offering MPs a chance to make the UK the first country to phase out the legal purchase of cigarettes.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will prevent thousands of people being disabled or dying prematurely.
Tobacco addicts people at a young age, taking their choices away and then killing them.
The 4 UK CMOs support creating a smokefree generation. https://t.co/4hcZKHkv9Q
— Professor Chris Whitty (@CMO_England) April 16, 2024
If implemented, it will be an unusual step, legislating against those born in 2009 or later from ever buying cigarettes legally. A concept with comedy sketch potential.
The smoking ‘ban’ is technically absurd but politically effective – and highly popular – legislation. Prominent Tories opposing it, like Badenoch & Jenrick, calculate that the route to leadership is still greased by the ‘think tank’/client media ecosystem that made Liz Truss PM.
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) April 16, 2024
I am strongly in favour of the proposed ban on smoking.
However I am also loving the comic potential of 55 year olds hanging around newsagents asking 56 year olds to buy their ciggies…
— Fr Paul ✠ (@revpaulwhite) April 16, 2024
Vaguely surreal to see Tory MPs who voted for the police to be able to arrest you for standing peacefully in the street with a sign now saying that it's the nanny state to prevent young people from taking up a deadly habit like smoking.
— Phil (@Philmoorhouse76) April 16, 2024
If things are being curbed to help the health of the nation, we need to consider banning the Tories first#c4news
— David (@Zero_4) April 16, 2024
The debate and vote put pressure on Sunak’s already fractured party, with some seeing the health benefits and others crying ‘Nanny state!’. However, a bit of a pattern emerged in some of those arguing against the bill.
Conservative MP Adam Afriyie, who accepted £19,000 worth of all-expenses paid trips to speak at Tobacco industry conferences in the past two years, says that smoking bans "don't work" and are "ridiculous". pic.twitter.com/HrhZ5epK7b
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) April 16, 2024
Conservative MP Gareth Johnson, who is Chair of the 'All Party Parliamentary Group on Responsible Vaping', which is solely funded by the vaping industry, says the smoking ban in the Tobacco and Vapes bill is "absurd", "incredibly patronising" and "completely the wrong approach" pic.twitter.com/Bq1iTRYj2a
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) April 16, 2024
Liz Truss, who has a book to plug and thinks she’s in with a chance of a move back into 10 Downing Street, spoke for 12 minutes about why the bill shouldn’t go through – immediately after the Speaker had asked for speeches to be a maximum of seven minutes.
Liz Truss, "I have voted against every single smoking prohibition"
Audible groans from MPs when she says, "This policy is emblematic of a technocratic establishment that wants to limit people's freedom"
Loud objections when she says, "This is not the final stage the health… pic.twitter.com/rD2QFea1mH
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) April 16, 2024
Liz Truss opened her pro-smoking speech today with "I have voted against every single smoking prohibition since I entered Parliament"
Which seems to gloss over some of her absences. pic.twitter.com/RfCCMfkNoz
— Ava-Santina (@AvaSantina) April 16, 2024
In the absence of a good reason for her stance, she invoked the spectre of a problematic entity – the health police.
Liz Truss speaking in the House of Commons for the first time this year, says the smoking ban is "not the final stage that the health police want to push.
"They are the health police. They are the health police and people are concerned about this," she says. pic.twitter.com/hGGvZY8nyJ
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) April 16, 2024
Liz Truss takes a break from her book tour to do her actual job for ten minutes, where she calls the government and Labour "the health police" for backing an anti-smoking bill. pic.twitter.com/AYqwkD0Y1I
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) April 16, 2024
The health police are presumably in league with the ‘deep state’, which stopped her implementing her brilliant West-saving policies, and the ‘London elite’, who compared her to a lettuce.
Her comment was met with exactly the amount of scorn it deserved.
1.
'health police' is what she calls ambulances, 'hot police' are fire engines https://t.co/yHIeSyqpym
— Toby Earle Threads tobyontv (@TobyonTV) April 16, 2024
2.
I’m imagining the health police as an extreme cross between public health and PHEM. landing in a helicopter and slapping cheeseburgers out of peoples hands. https://t.co/LfpPdjrSii
— John McKenna (@DrJEMcK) April 16, 2024
3.
Liz Truss saying doctors have become health police. Typical nanny state. People who know what they are talking about trying to keep everyone alive longer
— John Crace (@JohnJCrace) April 16, 2024
4.
Health Police.
What does she call cops? “Crime doctors?” Actually that’s a cool name tbf…. https://t.co/MrAvktXBG6
— fourfootvauxhallcarlton (@fourfoot) April 16, 2024
5.
“Health police”, known by the sound of mind simply as “doctors”. God she is insane. https://t.co/k8b4TynLNv
— Brendan May (@bmay) April 16, 2024
6.
Tell me more about these health police, Liz. Are they in the room right now? Can you see them? Would you like to describe them to me? If you come with me, we can have a little sit down and a chat and you can talk to one of my colleagues all about these police people…
— Mo Fanning ️ (@mofanning) April 16, 2024
7.
Nick O'Tina https://t.co/nKLx4f5P13 pic.twitter.com/A8tkl6FxVM
— HappyToast★ (@IamHappyToast) April 16, 2024
