Rishi Sunak's smoking ban is madness, says Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has warned that “it looks like we are about to enter a new era of Prohibition.” Photo: Leon Neill/PA

Boris Johnson has called Rishi Sunak's smoking ban «crazy» and said the government should «stop telling people what to do».

The former prime minister said it's time to reverse the «endless inflation in the size and role of the state» and asked: «Where does it end?»

He warned that a ban on the sale of cigarettes could spark new calls to outlaw other unhealthy products. such as sugary treats and alcohol. < /p>

Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr Johnson called the ban a «crazy scheme» that would divert the police from serious crime.

He warned it risked «glamorizing» smoking while giving criminal gangs a «new opportunity to make money» from young people.

«It looks like we are about to be on the path to a new era of banning tobacco smuggling, illegal smoking parlors and liquor stores,” he wrote.

“If the argument is that we should ban smoking for public health reasons, then what about obesity, now an even bigger killer? Are we going to ban sugar? Where does it end? What about drinks?