Angela Rayner Admits Vaping as Labour Announces Vape Shop Crackdown
Communities Secretary Angela Rayner disclosed she continues to vape, despite advocating for a crackdown on vape shops. The government plans to tighten regulations on vape shops and betting establishments.
Key takeaways
- Communities Secretary Angela Rayner confessed to still vaping, despite her role in a government initiative to curb vape shops.
- Labour's new policy will mandate planning permission for vape shops, aiming to control their numbers on high streets.
- The government also plans to tighten rules on betting shops and extend closure orders for rogue businesses.
- Former Marks & Spencer boss Lord Stuart Rose criticized the plans, calling them ineffective without broader economic reforms for town centres.
What Happened
Communities Secretary Angela Rayner has publicly acknowledged she still vapes, a habit her children find 'disgusting'. This admission occurred on the same day the Labour government announced plans to restrict the proliferation of vape shops and betting businesses on high streets.
The new measures will require vape shops to seek planning permission, with efforts to tighten definitions to prevent them from operating under the guise of convenience stores. The government also intends to make it easier for local councils to reject new betting shops and adult gaming centres. Closure orders for businesses linked to organised crime will be extended from six to twelve months.
Key Facts
- Communities Secretary Angela Rayner admitted on Tuesday that she still vapes.
- Rayner stated her nicotine addiction began in her teenage years and that she uses vaping to try and quit smoking.
- She expressed a desire to quit vaping entirely and stated she would be devastated if her children started vaping.
- Labour announced plans to require vape shops to obtain planning permission.
- The government aims to tighten the definition of vape shops to prevent circumvention of rules.
- Plans include making it easier for councils to refuse permission for new betting shops.
- Maximum closure orders for rogue shops will double from six to 12 months.
- Lord Stuart Rose, former boss of Marks & Spencer, described the plans as 'a lot of b******* about nothing', suggesting business rate reform is needed to revive town centres.
Background
The government's move is a response to concerns about high streets being 'hollowed out' by a concentration of vape shops, bookmakers, and other businesses. The 'aim to permit' rule for such establishments, introduced during a period of deregulation, will be revoked.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
Related stories
Singapore Deploys 10 Million Wolbachia Mosquitoes Weekly to Combat Dengue
South Korea Eliminates Crypto Transfer Reporting Threshold to Combat Money Laundering
Gauteng Deploys Seven Mobile Clinics to Reach Underserved Districts
