MOVES by the British Medical Association in favour of banning smoking in cars are draconian.

The BMA is flagrantly abusing the facts in its attempt to bully the Government into introducing such a ban.

The key argument that the BMA is using is that ' the restrictive internal environment in motor vehicles exposes drivers and passengers to 23 times more toxins than a smoky bar.'

This is demonstrably rubbish.

Anybody who has any claim to be interested in scientific evidence - and one hopes that an august organisation like the BMA should be interested in scientific evidence - would know that this fictional statistic is derived from a tiny article in an obscure Canadian newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News.

It was never scientific, but merely the expression of rage on the part of an anti-smoking campaigner.

It is wrong that such a false statistic should be used to back up this move, which is plainly a step too far.

The evidence of their sleight of hand can be found in a study of the evidence published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The proposed ban is based on junk science and would be an outrageous infringement of civil liberties. Not only would it be wrong, but it would be impossible to police.

Nobody would encourage people to smoke and no one thinks forcing children to breath your smoke is wise. But there are such things as car windows."

Paul Nuttall, Deputy Leader of UKIP and North West MEP.