Lord Strathcarron, a member of the House of Lords, is attempting to derail the UK's generational smoking ban after discussing the legislation with a relative who is “very high up” at British American Tobacco (BAT). The peer has proposed amendments to the tobacco and vapes bill that would scrap its central provision, which would make it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 2008.
Strathcarron's alternative proposal is to simply raise the legal purchase age from 18 to 21, a position that mirrors BAT's lobbying stance. If adopted, millions more people could legally be sold tobacco products over the coming decades. The peer, who in a recent Lords speech described cigars as “harmless”, revealed his discussions with the BAT in-law when questioned by the Guardian and the Examination.
Strathcarron said he and his relative had discussed the bill, which the relative considered unnecessary as “market forces are doing what the bill intends”. The peer later told the Guardian it had never occurred to him to declare the link because the person was “barely family”. He also admitted that peers sometimes rely on lobbyists for help on policy due to a lack of resources, citing his regular contact with Action on World Health, a group co-founded by Nigel Farage.
A BAT spokesperson said the company was “unaware of any engagement between a BAT employee and Lord Strathcarron” and did not respond to a question asking which employee was related to the peer. The House of Lords code of conduct requires holders of public office to declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
During a Lords debate, Strathcarron declared a separate potential conflict of interest involving a minority investor in one of his companies that manufactures vapes. He argued that a generational ban is “unenforceable and therefore unworkable”, and that raising the smoking age to 21 is a “more efficient” way of stopping young people from smoking.
