And inflation is down. It fell to 3. 2 in the year to march, down from 3. 4. Heres the Prime Minister, rishi sunak. Todays figures show that our economic plan is working and inflation continues to fall, having been 11 when i became Prime Minister, its now fallen to just over 3, the lowest level in two and a half years. That smacking debate is going to get you wound up, im sure, because in scotland at and, wales its already banned. But what i as one who was smacked by my mum a lot, how do you enforce it . Well , the problem is what you well, the problem is what you will find is that children will then snitch on their parents. Children who might be just. Just from the goodness of their heart for the wanting those kids to behave better might smack lightly smack their children. The children will then turn around to the parents and say, you cant do that. Ill call the police. Its awful division. Its anti family. I have got another smack for that. Oh well, exactly. Unfortunately now theyve but unfortunately now theyve all mobile phones. Yeah. So all got mobile phones. Yeah. So then just ring the then they would just ring the police. Move. Police. Its not the right move. There was no of course. There was no childline when we were kids. Well, listen, gbnews. Com yoursay, and i know you have your say on that you will have your say on that and all of our topics this morning. Though, very morning. First though, the very latest tatiana latest news with tatiana sanchez. Beth, thank you and good morning. The top stories. The rate of inflation has fallen to its lowest level in two and a half years, which the Prime Minister says shows the governments plan is working. Figures from the office for National Statistics shows it eased to 3. 2 in march, compared to 3. 4 the month before. Economists say a dip in food pncesis economists say a dip in food prices is the main reason for the slowdown. Furniture and Household Goods prices also contributed to the fall. The governor of the bank of england has signalled the uk is still on course for an Interest Rate cut, despite the news. Rishi sunak says todays inflation figures are part of a brighter economic picture. Picture. Weve also seen Mortgage Rates fall, energy bills fall and data this week showed that wages have been rising faster than inflation for nine months in a row now, because of all of that, weve been able to cut peoples taxes and £900 tax cut for the average worker and increase the state pension by £900 this month. That all shows that our plan is working. And my simple message would be if we stick to that plan, people can have confidence that theres a Brighter Future ahead. Smacking children should be made illegal in england and Northern Ireland, according to childrens doctors. The Royal College of paediatrics and child health says the current law in england and Northern Ireland has created grey areas which mean theres sometimes a defence to physical punishment. Their report warns children suffer lasting mental and physical effects from being hit in the home, striking a child is already illegal in scotland and wales and in many other countries around the world. Paedophiles convicted of serious Sexual Offences could lose parental rights over their children. A proposed law change children. A proposed law change would stop offenders being able to decide where their children go to school, as well as Important Health and travel choices. Only the most serious sexual offence, rape of a child under 13, would be covered under the new rule. However, labour mp Harriet Harman says the rule could be extended to cover less serious Sexual Offences against children in the future. Lord children in the future. Lord cameron says more can and should be done to sanction iran following its attack on israel. Dufing following its attack on israel. During his trip there, the foreign secretary arrived in israel this morning for talks with Benjamin Netanyahu as the israeli Prime Minister considers his response to irans missile and drone attack. David cameron is expected to echo rishi sunak calls for calm heads, but also told reporters that tehran needs told reporters that tehran needs to be given a clear and unequivocal message by world leaders. It comes after the Prime Minister told his israeli counterpart significant escalation is in no ones interest in a caution over the crisis in the middle east. For the latest stories, you can sign up to gb news alerts by scanning the qr code on your screen, or go to gbnews. Com slash alerts. Now its back to andrew and. Bev. Good morning. Welcome to britains newsroom on gb news with me, bev turner and Andrew Pierce. Well, it was a big, big moment. Weve now got the first stage anyway of the parliamentary process to give us the toughest anti smoking laws in the, in the world. But 165 tory mps, its almost half either voted against or abstained. Even though this is the rishi sunak flagship bill, it was a free vote. It was. So the Prime Minister did get his plans through with the support of labour mps across the support of labour mps across the house, 383 voted for the ban and 67 were against it, so the bill would make it illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone born in 2009 or later. And of course, many tories say anti freedom. We shouldnt be banning things and if you start banning fags, what about alcohol . Where do we go next . Quite well. Joining us now is a conservative mp for rayleigh and wickford, mark francois. Good mark. To see good morning mark. Good to see you. Did you vote against you. Why did you vote against this idea. This idea. I voted against it on principle because i dont believe in the nanny state, and i dont believe that it was right for the government to legislate on this question. I believe whether or not people want to smoke , and were all want to smoke, and were all well aware that there are Health Consequences of doing it should be a matter for individual decision by individual people. We like to tell the rest of the world we live in a in a free country. Well, the direction of country. Well, the direction of travel of this measure was going in the, in the other direction. But maybe its just that cigarettes , nicotine is a very cigarettes, nicotine is a very outdated product. If it was to appear on the market today, we would never legalise such a drug. And maybe this is just moving with the times. Ive got two children born after 2009, and i must say theres a little bit of me is quite relieved that theyll never be able to go into a shop and buy a cigarette. Well, that should be their decision. I mean, if i go out decision. I mean, if i go out door knocking twice a month in my patch. Andrew and i have discussed this before, so i dont just, you know, i go and ask my constituents what theyre thinking. And because of the local elections, its been a bit more that. Often the nhs more than that. Often the nhs crops up on the doorstep , but crops up on the doorstep, but ive never had a constituent ever raise this with me and say they wanted me to for vote a smoking ban. Its never happened. So smoking ban. Its never happened. So theres no clamour from my constituents. Certainly not that im aware of as of to this moment, to for vote this ban. Ive had a handful of emails about it, either way, and if you look at the result last night, it was extraordinary. There are 180, tory mps who voted for the ban, but 165 who didnt. There were 59 who voted against it, of whom i was one. But even more importantly , 106 but even more importantly, 106 tory mps abstained. I mean, the tory mps abstained. I mean, the Prime Minister was quite right to make it a free vote. Its, you know, its traditionally what you might call conscience issues are unwhipped. That was the correct decision. But to have over 100 tory mps abstain on whats meant to be a flagship measure is extra ordinary. And when youre having to rely on labour votes to get through what is meant to be flagship legislation, that is an extremely uncomfortable position to be in. So for me , the story to be in. So for me, the story of last night is not so much the 59 who voted against, but including some members of the cabinet. Its the 106 who abstained on what . What would you say though , what would you say though, mark . And i appreciate where youre coming from on this to those parents who are watching this program or listening on the radio grandparents who think radio or grandparents who think they government do they want the government to do anything can to make it anything they can to make it more difficult for teenagers to get into smoking. And they would argue that thats exactly what the vote last night did. Also, limiting teen access to vapes as well. Yes but those teenagers will grow up. So, you know, i think the legislation will be unworkable. I mean, picture a scene some years from now when someone goes into a newsagent somewhere in britain and, and the person behind the counter says, are you 35 or 36 . I cant quite tell by looking at you, you know, you want to buy 20 cigarettes. Do you happen to have your birth certificate on . Well have your biometric id by then, mark. I mean, ijust i just by then, mark. I mean, i just i just think i mean, ijust i just think this will be practically unworkable if the bill had said that, it would tighten up on the sale of vapes to children under age , i would gladly have voted age, i would gladly have voted for it. Yeah, i dont think its right that, you know, kids of 12 or 13, you know, should be able to go into a shop and, you know, buy vapes under the counter, as it were. I would i would gladly have voted for that. But thats a very different proposition from saying that some years from now, whos 35, you know, now, someone whos 35, you know, wont be allowed to buy some, some cigarettes, but someone whos 36 will i just if you actually look at the legislation, theres an old theres an old saying in parliament, hard cases make for bad law and i just cant see how in the real world outside of the westminster bubble, this legislation is actually going to work. But do you think, do you suspect, mark, that weve got a Prime Minister who, if the polls are correct, hes heading leading your party to a very heavy defeat late this year. Do you suspect this may be something to do with his own personal legacy . What what will his premiership be remembered for . He can at least then say, well, i introduced what some are describing as the most draconian, toughest anti smoking law in the country. Hes got a leader in the times saying today, rishi sunak is on the right side of history. You guys are on the wrong side. Well , in are on the wrong side. Well, in that case, are on the wrong side. Well , in that case, let let well, in that case, let let history be the judge. History be the judge. So i just drag, isnt it to be the most draconian Prime Minister in history . Well, i think the measure is unconservative. Yeah. You know , unconservative. Yeah. You know, were meant to be the party of individual liberty. My Margaret Thatcher believed in a free society under a rule of law. But i think this is a this is a law which will be in reality practically unenforceable. Practically unenforceable. But, mark, if you just just as a pressing question, ive got to ask you, given how many people from the conservatives went against the Prime Minister or abstained on his flagship policy, youve wrong policy, youve got the wrong Prime Minister weve got local elections in two and a half weeks, and lets see what the results of those elections are , you know, thats elections are, you know, thats not an opinion poll by a polling company. Those are real votes in real ballot boxes. And lets see real ballot boxes. And lets see what happens in those elections. What happens in those elections. And maybe well have a discussion after that on you know, what the results the results are, what we do know is there was a vote in the house of commons last night. The division lists are published. You know, we live in a country where people can see the following morning individual morning how their individual member of parliament voted on whatever parliament. And thats a thing , whatever parliament. And thats a thing, right . Whatever parliament. And thats a thing , right . There are a good thing, right . There are some countries on earth where you even do that. So you you cant even do that. So you know, we all have to stand by the decisions that we make. And the decisions that we make. And the can can see how we the public can can see how we voted last night. 165 conservative mps chose to not support the Prime Ministers flagship legislation. So, you flagship legislation. So, you know, if i were in number 10, i would be a bit concerned about that. And id say, well, maybe we need to listen a little bit better to what people on the backbenches are trying to tell us. Us. All right. Mark, i just before i let you go, i noticed the cabinet ministers who voted against braverman. Sorry, shes not a cabinet minister now, but badenoch cabinet minister widely seen as a future tory leadership contender, Suella Braverman voted against, widely seen as a future leadership contender. Robert another one penny Robert Jenrick another one penny morden leadership contender. Shes in the cabinet. She abstained. Priti patel shell could run for the leadership. Could run for the leadership. She abstained. And we mustnt forget truss voted against. Forget liz truss voted against. Are people limbering up are these people limbering up for what happens on may for after what happens on may the 2nd . Look, was in the no lobby look, i was in the no lobby last night. Andrew and i a number of andrew and i saw a number of these people come through. They were night on were voting last night on whether not introduce this whether or to not introduce this to my mind. Illiberal measure that thats what happened last night. Lets not read too much more into it. Lets wait and see what happens in the local elections. But last night the Prime Minister got through. He won the vote, a flagship measure, but he had to rely on a large number of labour votes in order to do it. And that is not a comfortable position for any conservative Prime Minister whoever they happen to be. Mark, theres a guru talking of the nanny state. Theres a group of paediatricians who are calling for a nationwide rollout of a smacking ban so that parents cant physically discipline their children , no discipline their children, no matter how loving or mild that might be. Do you support it . Im instinctively wary of it for similar reasons to the ones that we have been discussing, but i would like to see the detail of that. Ive learned, you know, having been an mp for all 23 years now, when people ask you to vote on a piece of legislation, its often a good idea to actually look at the legislation first, because you know so, so well. Im so sorry. Yes forgive me. I am a bit, you know, a bit of a square on that one. When people say we have this on brexit all the time, will you vote for this . Will you vote for that . Well, if you just allow me the you know, the opportunity to read that opportunity to read it, that would be quite handy. So so at this stage its just a proposal from paediatricians. From a group of paediatricians. Ive instinct on ive given you my instinct on it, but actually if were it, but id actually if were going to vote on it. And again i think that should free think that should be a free vote. If it comes to it, then id actually be able to id actually want to be able to look at what precisely is proposed. Look at what precisely is proposedyou were you smacked as were you were you smacked as a child . Mark we were explained lot about her. I, i dont think i was actually , but my mother was actually, but my mother was italian, so she had other ways of expressing her displeasure. She. She used to talk to me in english, but she switched into italian. You know, i knew that meant cease and desist, but that meant cease and desist, but that that was her disciplinary measure. Cease and desist, mark. Francois, thank you so much. Cease and desist. Thats brilliant. Thats what parents are doing all over the country every day, and sometimes with various levels of success. Right. We are going to be discussing that after the break. Doctors are calling for smacking of to be banned in of children to be banned in england ireland. England and Northern Ireland. Its illegal scotland its already illegal in scotland and wales, so let us know your thoughts. This is. Gb news. Very good morning. Is it ever okay to smack your children . Well, im not a parent, of course, but i was smacked as a child, and i dont think it did me too much damage. Although some people may say it explains a lot. It certainly does with beverley, who was smacked quite a apparently my mum had a lot, apparently my mum had a your mum would be watching. Yes, i guess. I know why you i sort of guess. I know why you had to her so often. Had to smack her so often. Mum, she would agree. But my mum philosophy. She, she mum had a philosophy. She, she worked children whole worked with children her whole life. Other life. She didnt smack other peoples to be clear, peoples children. To be clear, but philosophy was lots of but her philosophy was lots of discipline. Smacking when necessary, many necessary, but twice as many cuddles. So for every smack we might its like might have got, its not like shes the shes throwing us around the room little smack on room for every little smack on the we might got for the legs we might have got for being cheeky, or for running across the road when werent across the road when we werent supposed kind of supposed to, or that kind of thing, touching hot pan. Thing, or touching a hot pan. You twice many cuddles. Okay, well, doctors, were talking because talking about this because doctors for it. Doctors are calling for it. Paediatricians calling for paediatricians are calling for it banned in england and it to be banned in england and <