A GROUP of MPs have called on the Government to launch a consultation into raising the smoking legal age to 21 and senior Cumbrians have reacted to the idea

An all-party parliamentary group of MPs on smoking and health has made a recommendation to raise the legal age, which is currently 18 to 21.

The group of MPs has urged the Government to try and eradicate smoking in the spirit of building back “better and fairer” from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although not one of the Members of Parliament in the call, Copeland MP Trudy Harrison agreed that smoking should be combated.

She said: “It is right to continue to review the effectiveness of our smoking preventative strategies.

“Cigarettes provide a physiological poison which reduces life quality and lifespan and as we embrace a more preventative health strategy I welcome any measures to reduce and stop young people engage in such an awfully life limiting habit.”

Councillor Alan Smith, mayor of Cockermouth said: “As a reformed smoker I wouldn’t advocate anybody nevermind kids.

“I would support it with caution on, how do you police it? How would they actually implement it. I think it’s impossible.

“The kids are smoking now at 14, 15.”

Councillor Smith believes something needs to change to prevent young people from smoking from an early age.

“There’s kids outside secondary schools smoking now. It needs to be policed.

“I think the shop keepers have done all they can. It needs to be an independent body or if you really want to be radical, you can only go to a cigarette shop and buy them.”

The All Party Group’s report, published on Wednesday urges the Government to use the opportunity provided by Brexit to step up and take its place on the world stage as a global leader in tobacco control. The report’s recommendations include funding for tobacco control programmes to be secured through a ‘polluter pays’ amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill.