Labour’s plan to phase out smoking could weaken the party’s support in Scotland, according to a new opinion poll.
The survey, produced for lobby group, The Freedom Association, found one in five Scots would be less likely to vote Labour if the generational smoking ban goes ahead.
Labour currently holds 36 of the 57 Westminster seats in Scotland.
The ban, part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill currently going through UK Parliament, would prevent anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco.
It would eventually mean someone aged 42, say, would be allowed to buy cigarettes, but someone a year younger at the age of 41 would be banned from doing so.
Despite the ban being a devolved matter, the Scottish Government said it will fall into line with Westminster.
While 57% of Scots said they supported the idea in practice, only 34% believed it was workable.
Around 30% of Scots said it was unreasonable to expect shop workers to check the ID of customers in their 30s and 40s.
Meanwhile, more than 70% feared the ban would fuel criminal gangs selling tobacco.
In a survey by the Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed), over 90% of independent retailers also said the ban would fuel demand for illicit products even further.
Responding to the proposed “smoke-free generation”, leading independent retailer Atul Sodha said: “While the idea of creating a smoke-free generation is an amazing thought, the people at the sharp end, meaning retailers, have got to try and manage this.”
David Bannerman, chair of The Freedom Association, stressed that c-stores should not be expected to “become policemen”.
Bannerman said it was “absurd” to imagine a future where a 47-year-old can legally purchase tobacco but his 46-year-old brother cannot.
“The public senses the injustice and impracticality of the generational smoking ban. You don’t have to like smoking to agree this is not respecting people’s freedoms. They may want to see an end to smoking, but they do not think this is the way to do it,” added Bannerman.
No comments yet