Williams Votes for Tough New Laws on Smoking

11.58.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 13th Oct 2009

Bristol West MP Stephen Williams has voted in the House of Commons for three new laws to curtail smoking.

Stephen is a long standing advocate for tougher laws on smoking and more health education in order to reduce the incidence of lung cancer. The House of Commons backed measures that would make it an offence for an adult to knowingly buy cigarettes for children. The Health Bill will also ban cigarette vending machines in England. Stephen also supported the Government in order to remove cigarettes from display in shops, this means that in future cigarettes will have to be requested from covered displays or from under the counter.

Stephen says "I am keen to support any measures that will make it less likely that someone will take smoking and that someone who is already smoking will stop. I think that there is still more that we could do - more obviously tackling illegally sold smuggling tobacco."