Angela Rayner has said she would be “devastated” if her children began vaping as she admits her nicotine addiction has left her in a “lifetime of purgatory”.
The communities secretary, who previously revealed her children call her the “vape dragon” over her use of e-cigarettes, said she had failed to quit after becoming addicted to nicotine as a teenager.
Speaking to LBC, Ms Rayner said: “I don’t love vaping.”
She added: “I started vaping to give up smoking. I’ve had a problem with nicotine since I was a teenager, and I’ve had it on and off. And I wish I could just give it up completely.”
It comes as the government cracks down on vape shops, with new stores required to see planning approval from next year. The legal definition of a vape store will also be tightened to prevent retailers trying to bypass regulations by describing themselves as a “convenience store”.
Earlier this year, Ms Rayner said she was hoping to quit vaping “full stop”, but now says she is in a “lifetime of purgatory for me of doing something I know isn’t good for me”.
“I’m from a generation when I thought it was cool to smoke – it wasn’t,” she said.
“It’s a lifetime of purgatory for me of doing something I know isn’t good for me – I don’t want to see an explosion of vape shops.”
The former deputy prime minister said her children are “disgusted” by her vaping, but that she took it up to stop smoking.
“It is not cool, it is not a good habit, and I despise the fact I have to say on your show that I’m addicted to nicotine as I started as a kid,” she said.
“I’ve cracked down on it, I do vape, but the important thing is I do that to stop myself from smoking. It’s been a lifetime of addiction for me and it’s probably going to damage my health.”
The government has announced that it will hand councils greater powers to block betting shops and vape stores under government plans to revitalise Britain’s “hollowed-out high streets”.
Andy Burnham plans to abolish the so-called “aim to permit” rule, first introduced by Sir Tony Blair, which limits the ability of town halls to refuse licences to gambling premises and venues with round-the-clock slot machines.
The measures are part of a package designed to halt the decline of Britain’s high streets – and even make them look better. New expectations on the design of shop fronts will tackle “garish neon signs” and oversized logos, while there will be “practical guidance” for councils on how to make towns more attractive.
“The rise of vape shops, betting shops and rogue operators have replaced the shops, services, and community spaces that people are crying out for,” the prime minister said. “That’s not on. I said we would improve Britain’s high streets, and that’s exactly what we are starting to do.”
