Eamonn Holmes demanded for smoking to be "banned altogether" as he took on Wes Streeting's latest proposals.
The GB News star tackled the Labour MP as he appeared via video-link to discuss the government's plans to extend the smoking ban to certain outdoor areas. He declared that the measures were necessary as part of his bid to create a "smoke-free generation" and save Brits from a habit that kills two out of every three who take it up.
However, Eamonn demanded to know: "Why are you fiddling with this? Just ban smoking completely!" He added: "If it's that awful, if it's the single biggest killer, why don't you just, you know, fully fledged doing something about it?"
Concern was etched across his face as he took on Wes. However, the Labour minister shot back: "'I never thought I'd come on GB News and be accused of not going far enough!"
It came after Wes set out his proposals to turn the next generation of Britons into a non-smoking nation. He proudly declared to Eamonn: "We've got the tobacco and vapes bill being introduced to parliament today.
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"This is going to be the biggest health measure in a generation - it will mean that children growing up in our country today will never legally be able to buy cigarettes.
"We're phasing out smoking altogether to create the first smoke-free generation, extending the smoking ban to outside schools and children's playgrounds as well as vaping outside... as a part of a wider crackdown on it being targeted to children."
He added that he saw the measures as a "ground-breaking piece of legislation" after the progress made on smoking over the years had failed to do enough to end the deadly habit.
"We still see smoking as the single biggest killer: 80,000 deaths a year, one in four cancers directly attributable to smoking and two thirds of smokers killed by their addiction," he clarified.
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"I think we've got the balance right here," Wes insisted, describing tobacco as a "uniquely addictive and uniquely harmful substance".
He continued that of the people who take it up, "the vast majority say they wish they hadn't" and end up struggling to quit the habit.
Wes clarified that for children and young people, he felt the best cause of action was a preventative one, phasing it out altogether, while older adults who'd already started should be given the support they need to stop.
He vowed to strike a balance between "public health, lives, livelihoods and liberties" but added that action needed to be taken because of the tax burden created by the costly NHS treatment needed by many smokers.
