Conservative MP Esther McVey has sparked widespread condemnation after likening the Labour Government’s proposed smoking ban to the Holocaust, using a poem about Nazi persecution in a controversial social media post. The MP for Tatton shared Martin Niemöller’s 1946 poem First They Came on X (formerly known as Twitter), modifying it to reference Labour leader Keir Starmer’s smoking ban plans. The original poem, a powerful reflection on the Holocaust, includes the line, “Then they came for the Jews. And I did not speak out.” McVey's version ended with a provocative twist: “Pertinent words re Starmer’s smoking ban.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews swiftly condemned McVey’s post, describing her actions as “repugnant” and “breathtakingly thoughtless.” The organization issued a statement urging McVey to delete her tweet and apologize for the offensive comparison. “The use of Martin Niemöller’s poem about the horrors of the Nazis to describe a potential smoking ban is an ill-considered and repugnant action,” the Board declared.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting also criticized McVey, emphasizing the inappropriate nature of her analogy. “No, I do not think the postwar confessional of Martin Niemöller about the silent complicity of the German intelligentsia and clergy in the Nazi rise to power is pertinent to a Smoking Bill that was in your manifesto and ours to tackle one of the biggest killers,” Streeting wrote, adding, “Get a grip.” Prominent figures from the Jewish community echoed these sentiments. Rabbi David Mason, executive director of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality, called McVey’s post “tasteless” and questioned how she could fail to see the inappropriateness of her comparison.
Israeli writer Hen Mazzig also expressed disbelief, highlighting the gravity of the Holocaust and criticizing McVey for equating a public health policy with “the largest, most industrialized genocide in history.” Mazzig poignantly added, “Smoking can kill you. Being Jewish shouldn’t have to.” Despite the backlash, McVey doubled down on her position, insisting that her words had been misinterpreted.
She clarified that she was not equating the smoking ban with the Holocaust and accused critics of deliberately twisting her message. “I am pretty sure everyone understands the point I was making and knows that no offence was ever intended,” McVey stated, refusing to remove the post and asserting that she would not be "bullied" into doing so. The controversy comes amid growing debate over the Labour Government’s anti-smoking proposal, which could extend the current indoor smoking ban to outdoor spaces like beer gardens, university campuses, and sports grounds. The proposal has drawn mixed reactions from politicians and the public. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey questioned whether Labour was striking the right balance with the policy, while Conservative shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins warned that the ban could harm the hospitality sector.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, also weighed in, promising to boycott pubs altogether if the rule is implemented. Speaking to the press while smoking outside a Westminster pub, Farage labeled smokers as “heroes of the nation” for the taxes they contribute. As the debate over the smoking ban intensifies, McVey’s controversial post has only added fuel to the fire, drawing attention away from the policy discussion and sparking a broader conversation about the appropriateness of Holocaust analogies in political discourse.