Streeting says Labour will come down on vaping industry "like ton of bricks" if it does not tackle sales to children Q: What would you do that would make a difference on prevention? Streeting turns to vaping. He says a generation of children has been addicted to nicotine. He says children are turning up to school distracted. Until Labour put this on the agenda, the government was not moving. The government should ban the marketing and sale of vaping to children. And he says if the government does not act before the election, Labour will come down on the industry “like a ton of bricks” after the election. Early evening summary Keir Starmer has said Labour would get rid of the Rwanda deportation policy even if it appeared to be working at the time of the next election. (See 9.29am.) Labour pro-Europeans have failed in a bid to get the conference to debate Brexit. (See 3.44pm.) Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has said Labour will come down on the vaping industry “like a ton of bricks” to stop it selling and marketing its products if the government has not acted by the time of the general election. He also said that Labour will whips its MPs to vote in favour of Rishi Sunak’s plan to gradually raise the age at which people can buy cigarettes, so that younger generations can never buy them. Keir Starmer has said the UK must “get real about where we’re going to build” to solve the housing crisis, as Labour pledged to review rules about building on the green belt. A Labour government would create a powerful Covid corruption commissioner to help recoup billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money that has been lost to waste, fraud and flawed contracts during the pandemic, Rachel Reeves is to announce. Tory strategists have boosted the number of “spies” sent to “dig up dirt” on the Labour party at what could be the final conference season before the next general election, sources have told the Guardian. Ed Miliband is to announce Labour’s plan for an energy independence act that would boost Britain’s energy independence and cut bills for families. Viner ends with a quickfire round Liverpool or Everton? Liverpool, Streeting says. Barbie or Oppenheimer? – Barbie. Noel Edmonds or Richard Littlejohn? They are both from Ilford, where Streeting is MP. He says he likes Noel’s House Party. Kiss a Tory or kiss a lefty? – Why choose? Tequila shots or white win spritzer? Tequila. Suella Braverman or Liz Truss? The deep blue sea, says Streeting. Arsenal winning the league for the first time since 2004 or Labour winning the election? A Labour government. And that’s it. Streeting says anti-vaxx sentiment is “incredibly dangerous” and “we’ve got to take it on”. Referring to the risk of a measles epidemic, he says that should not be happening. But there is a danger, he says, because vaccination rates have fallen. He says he was alarmed to hear conspiracy theories being aired at the Tory conference. Q: Are you firmly committed to Martha’s law? Streeting says he was really moved by Merope Mills’ courage, and by the campaign she launched. He is backing the plan, he says. He says if a senior journalist like Mills can’t get a hearing from doctors, what hope is there for anyone else. Martha’s law will be a guarantee that parents will never be ignored again. He says Labour is absolutely committed to this. And the government says it is going to implement it, he says. The next questioner says she was concerned by the plan to get more operations done by having NHS staff do more overtime in the evenings and at weekends. There is no shortage of overtime already in the NHS, she says. Streeting says he is furious about the way Rishi Sunak has blamed NHS staff for what is going on. But he thinks some NHS will be willing to work overtime if they know they have a government on their side. The real risk is not that doctors go on strike again, he says. The risk is that they will leave the NHS for good. Streeting says way some people are treated by public services "makes my blood boil" Streeting is now taking questions from the floor. Q: What would you do about addressing health inequalities among people with learning disabilities and autism. One study said 49% of deaths of people with learning disabilities are preventable; for the mainstream population, the figure is 22%. Streeting says his niece is autistic. He says her family got her diagnosed at four, and he knows from his casework how hard it is to get a diagnosis that young. He says he is not sentimental about the NHS because his family have always had to rely on public services. In many cases, people have very bad experiences of public services. Listening to how constituents have been dealt with by housing, or by social services, or trying to get an EHCP, sometimes “it makes my blood boil”, he says. He says it is not just a matter of resources; it is also a matter of culture. Q: What is your relationship to the north as a southerner? Streeting says, when he goes to the north, he says he is an Essex MP, not a London MP. That is because so many people dislike London, he says (half-jokingly). Labour wants to win power to give it away, he says. In the past the Labour party has traditionally been divided between the devolutionists and the centralisers. But now the whole of the shadow cabinet supports the devolution agenda, he says. Viner asks about Streeting’s working-class background. Streeting says he was really glad to hear Keir Starmer talk about smashing the “class ceiling”. The last Labour government did not address this enough, he says. He says this not about class war. It is about extending opportunity. Every child from every background should have opportunities, he says. Starmer’s dad was a toolmaker, and his mum was a nurse, Streeting says. He says he personally thought he had a difficult upbringing, but Angela Rayner’s background was much harder. Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, comes from a working-class background. He says it is no coincidence that Labour will address class, with people like this around the table. He says this is very different from the cabinet. They are out of touch, he says. Viner turns to Streeting’s recent memoir. Q: You have written about being treated for cancer during Covid. Did that experience affect your view of Partygate? Streeting says he never felt more lonely than when he went into hospital alone for treatment. To see people partying in Downing Street, and laughing about it, was a real kick in the teeth, he says. He says the Tories should never be forgiven for that. That gets a strong round of applause. Streeting says he"s not sure NHS would survive another five years of Tory government Streeting says he worries the Tories have “beaten the hope” out of people. That is the message he has picked up at byelection campaigns. People are angry. But they are not convinced politicians can make a difference. That is why it is important for Labour to explain how it can make a difference, he says. He says he had a meeting recently with teachers from his constituency, and three of them broke down in tears. Labour has to give people their hope back, he says. He says he has thought about this a lot. If there is one abiding image from the Tory conference, it is the party “literally dancing to the tune of Nigel Farage”. If the Tories win again, he is not sure they will remain committed to the idea of the NHS, he says. He says you can see evidence of that in reports that Sunak is considering charging people for missing GP appointments. (Sunak proposed that last year, during the Tory leadership contest. He dropped the plan when he became PM, but it was recently reported that he may revive it.) He goes on: I’m genuinely not sure that the NHS can survive another five years of Tory government. Asked about measures to restrict the consumption of junk food, Streeting says he is wary of measures that would increase costs for people. He says he would prefer to look at other public health measures. Streeting says Labour will whip its MPs to vote in favour of Sunak"s ban on sale of cigarettes to future generations Streeting says Rishi Sunak announced plans stop the next generation smoking. But he says Sunak did not credit the New Zealand Labour party, which implemented this first. Sunak is offering a free vote to Tory MPs, he says. And Liz Truss says she will vote against. But Streeting says Labour will come to Sunak’s rescue. It will whip its MPs to vote in favour of the gradual ban (gradual because the age at which people can buy cigarettes will rise by one year every year, so children 14 or younger today will never be allowed to buy them). Streeting says Labour will come down on vaping industry "like ton of bricks" if it does not tackle sales to children Q: What would you do that would make a difference on prevention? Streeting turns to vaping. He says a generation of children has been addicted to nicotine. He says children are turning up to school distracted. Until Labour put this on the agenda, the government was not moving. The government should ban the marketing and sale of vaping to children. And he says if the government does not act before the election, Labour will come down on the industry “like a ton of bricks” after the election.