A health minister begged her husband – former Brighton councillor Steve Bell – to stop vaping during a live TV interview this morning.
Maria Caulfield, the Conservative MP for Lewes, was being interviewed by Kay Burley on Sky News this morning about the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is due to go before Parliament today.
She told Ms Burley that Steve Bell, who was leader of the Conservative group on Brighton and Hove City Council until last May, had taken up vaping instead of smoking but that she would like him to stop.
She said: “He finds it has stopped him smoking and that’s had a significant financial impact too, because cigarettes are so expensive whereas vaping is a much cheaper alternative.”
The interview then discussed new evidence suggesting that vaping damages the DNA of its users in a similar way to smokers who develop cancer, which Mrs Caulfield said the chief medical officer was looking at.
Ms Burley then said: “He’s never going to stop vaping then?”
Mrs Caulfield replied: “My husband – I can’t. I can do certain things in this world but stopping my husband vaping is not one of them.
Ms Burley said: “You can look down that lens and tell him.”
Mrs Caulfield laughed, look directly into the camera, and said: “Stop vaping!”
Later in the morning, Mr Bell retweeted the clip but it’s not clear whether he intends to take her advice.
Mr Bell was a councillor for Woodingdean from 2015 until May last year, when both seats in the ward were taken by Labour. He has worked as Mrs Caulfield’s office manager since 2016.
Mrs Caulfield was also on the council for four years, winning her seat in Moulsecoomb and Bevendean from Labour in 2007.
She served as the council’s cabinet member for housing for three years and won her seat in the House of Commons from the former Lib Dem MP Norman Baker in 2015.
Really? Some of us thought the Councillor must be on something else – or nothing at all – during his abject non – handling of the Conservative campaign last May. Would suggest he goes back on the fags, stops working for his wife , who will be out of a job quite soon in any case, and, if he’s serious about B&H local politics, which he once was, then put some effort into it, which he didn’t do at all last May.
Chemical substitute for nicotine, when will people learn, ,,,, how can it be legal if the basis is non controlled chemicals, more idiots overloading the NHS, should send the taxes on vapes up by 100% and the fines for illegal sellers/vendors minimum 3 month closure, 2nd time close down permanently. Same for pubs, plenty still allowing the stuff indoors, close them down. After 17 years of smoking bans I see no reason for these places to exist.
My sister is an adult long heavy smoker. She has just been diagnosed with an inoperable brain cancer. Smoking is self abuse. So is vaping.