M

Member

Speaking in the House of Lords on 17 November 2025

Debate

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Contribution

The effect is that the Bill removes the current presumption of legality and replaces it with a presumption of criminality. Every performance involving smoking becomes an offence at the outset, and one which producers and performers would have to justify after the fact, potentially in court and to a criminal standard of proof. In practice, this puts theatres, film productions and rehearsal spaces in a position of permanent legal jeopardy.

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Hansard is the official verbatim record of proceedings in the UK Parliament. Every word spoken in the Commons and Lords is recorded and published — this page is a single contribution from that record.

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