“I bet I get a load of stick for appearing on here,” quipped Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, while presenting his GB News programme on Tuesday (26th November). And why might that be? Well, Farage managed to dodge a fairly significant moment in Parliament – the vote on Labour’s proposed smoking ban.
While MPs were busy passing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill through its second reading with a landslide majority of 368 (415 votes to 47, if you’re counting), Farage was decidedly not in the Commons. Instead, he was parked in front of a camera at GB News, where his priorities, it seems, lay with prime-time punditry rather than parliamentary procedure.
The Bill, if you’re unfamiliar, isn’t just a bit of bureaucratic admin. It’s a landmark move that’ll stop anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 from ever legally buying tobacco products. Oh, and it’s also cracking down on those pesky disposable vapes that have taken over playgrounds faster than the latest TikTok trend.
Farage, however, has made no secret of his disdain for the idea. He’s also previously declared that a smoking ban in pub gardens would mean he’d “never go to the pub again” (cue the sound of landlords everywhere collectively shrugging). He’s also accused Labour of indulging in “authoritarian socialist state control” – a phrase that, let’s be honest, could double as his ringtone.
But when it came time to back his talk with a vote? Farage opted for a comfy studio chair and a GB News paycheck. And what a paycheck it is: £177,428, to be exact, neatly logged since his tenure as an MP began, with a chunk of that as back pay.
Speaking to viewers during his broadcast, Farage casually addressed the elephant in the room: “I bet I get a load of stick for appearing on here at 7pm. Why? Because this afternoon we have a debate on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill second reading.”
Still, he had his reasons (or so he says): “Believe you me, the Cromwellians are fully in charge.” Farage then justified his absence, saying, “The reason I’m not voting at 7pm is because it’s going to pass with a majority of about 300, I think. And frankly, I think I’m better off here debating national issues on GB News.”
Whether you agree with his priorities or not, one thing’s clear: Farage isn’t letting a little thing like parliamentary democracy get in the way of his airtime.
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