Therese Coffey says she didn’t think it was right to ban parents from smoking in cars with children

Health Secretary Therese Coffey today claimed the rule-change to outlaw smoking in cars with children was probably not ‘the right thing to be doing’.

Dr Coffey made the controversial statement as it was revealed she plans to U-turn on the Government’s pledge to unveil an action plan to tackle tobacco use.

The cigar-puffing Liz Truss ally said she voted against the law change in 2015 because she didn’t believe in telling parents what to do.

She admitted that she did not know whether the law change actually was implemented at the time. 

Labour’s Wes Streeting, her opposite number in the shadow cabinet, accused her of being ‘clueless and hopeless’.

And in another embarrassing gaffe for the Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Coffey’s 8am phone alarm went off during her media round of morning interviews.

Laughing off the incident, she said: ‘It’s not Dr Dre this time.’ Last month, her phone started blaring the 1999 hit ‘Still D.R.E.’ at the same time during an interview.

Cigar-smoking, karaoke-loving MP Therese Coffey became the third Health Secretary in as many months in September

Asked by LBC’s Nick Ferrari why she voted against the rule change, she said: ‘Oh probably because I didn’t think it was the right thing to be doing, to be telling parents how to handle the situation.’

Pressed on whether she thinks it is right to smoke with children in the back, Dr Coffey said she couldn’t recall whether the law changed but thinks it ‘probably did’.

She added: ‘I’m not getting into necessarily prescriptive… we want a positive prevention programme in the future.’

Asked again if she thinks it is right to smoke with children in the car, she said: ‘Well I think I don’t know what the law says today, I’m a democrat Nick.

‘I think the law did get changed [so that] people shouldn’t be smoking in cars. You’re asking me something a decade ago, I’m not quite sure why it’s relevant now.’

The Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition Government introduced the law change in the Children and Families Act 2015.

It made it illegal to smoke or prevent smoking in a vehicle with someone under the age of 18.

It comes after Labour accused Health Secretary Therese Coffey of being ‘clueless’ after she was unable to say whether she is scrapping a plan to get England smoke free by 2030.

Ms Coffey, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said on Tuesday she is ‘not aware’ whether the target to get the adult smoking rate down to 5 per cent or under has been axed.

The Government promised to publish a tobacco control plan ‘later this year’ but the Guardian said ministers are expected to break the commitment.

Ms Coffey was unable to say whether this is the case or not, instead saying her priority is on her ‘ABCD’ — ambulances, backlog, care, doctors and dentists — ambitions.

‘I’m not aware any target has been scrapped. My focus right now is the ABCD,’ she told Sky News.

Her Labour shadow Wes Streeting said: ‘The Health Secretary is ‘unaware’ of a major plank of her own Government’s health policy because she spends little time in her own department and most of her time firefighting in Number 10.

‘Clueless and hopeless.’

Leading medics said the Department of Health and Social Care will miss its target unless further action is taken.

Ms Coffey, who has been heading the department for a month, told LBC radio she did not know if the nation is on track ‘because I haven’t looked into this specific prevention policy’.

She would not say whether she is personally committed to the policy, saying: ‘I’m a Government minister so if that’s Government policy today then that’s what I agree with. I don’t have personal views on these sorts of matters.’

Ms Coffey’s voting record shows she has been against measures to reduce smoking, including banning lighting up in cars containing children.

Smoking causes nearly one in five cancer cases and more than one in four cancer deaths each year in the UK.

Almost 6million people in England still smoke.

In June, a major review led by Dr Javed Khan said smoking should be banned in outdoor spaces such as beer gardens, cafe pavements and beaches.

The Government-commissioned review said ministers will not meet the smoke free target by 2030 without urgent reforms being brought in.