Esther McVey Defends Controversial Holocaust Smoking Ban Comparison

Rightwing Tory MP Esther McVey has stirred controversy by doubling down on a Tweet that seemingly compared Labour’s proposed smoking ban to the Holocaust.

A prominent Jewish community group has led the criticisms of the former common sense minister’s social media post, describing it as “repugnant.” McVey’s Tweet included the words of German theologian Martin Niemoller’s 1946 poem, First They Came, which serves as a warning about the dangers of passive complicity in the face of growing persecution, specifically the Holocaust.

McVey then added, “Pertinent words re Starmer’s smoking ban.” However, following a barrage of criticism and calls to delete the post on X (formerly Twitter), McVey has stood firm and reiterated her views during an LBC interview.

McVey denied directly comparing the smoking ban to the Holocaust. She explained to presenter Nick Ferrari, “Yes, I quoted a poem about the Holocaust. Why? Because it conveys a very important wider parable about the importance of standing up for other people’s freedoms and it was in that context I used it.

“So nobody is suggesting the banning of smoking outside pubs equated to what happened to the Jews at the hands of the Nazis. But it is an analogy that those who restrict freedoms start with what they see as an easier target and then they extend their reach.”

Criticizing the new Labour government, she stated, “I have to tell you that what we see from this new socialist government should be sending shudders down people’s spines with what they are doing.” McVey, who supports rightwing former Home Office minister Robert Jenrick in the Tory leadership election, was recently seen introducing him at his official launch event in Newark.

Jenrick has frequently addressed issues of antisemitism and the Holocaust. Despite the backlash, McVey insisted “no offence was meant” but remains adamant about not deleting the Tweet.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews was among the many critics, describing her comment as “breathtakingly thoughtless.” In a statement, the community organization said, “The use of Martin Niemoller’s poem about the horrors of the Nazis to describe a potential smoking ban is an ill-considered and repugnant action. We would strongly encourage the MP for Tatton to delete her tweet and apologise for this breathtakingly thoughtless comparison.”

Hen Mazzig, an Israeli writer and founder of the Tel-Aviv Institute, also weighed in, saying, “A member of British parliament equates a ban on smoking to a genocide of Jews. If this were just a random tweet, I would make fun of it and move on. But this person is a national policymaker, and can’t tell the difference between a public health policy and the largest, most industrialized genocide in history. Smoking can kill you. Being Jewish shouldn’t have to.”