Raise smoking age from 18 by a year, every year, until total ban, review finds

A report by the Government suggests raising the smoking age by one year, every year, until the point that nobody can buy tobacco.

Dr Javed Khan's review on how to make smoking "obsolete" proposes increasing the age people can buy tobacco, among 14 other recommendations. The Department of Health and Social Care asked Dr Khan to put together the report to help inform the Government's approach to cut smoking levels in the UK and reduce the number of people who take up the habit.

Along with an annual increase in the smoking age, Dr Khan's key recommendations suggest investing £125m more a year in smoke-free policies, along with an additional £70m per year set aside for stop smoking services. E-cigarettes, or vapes, should be promoted as an effective “swap to stop” tool, Dr Khan also recommends, while shops selling tobacco products should require special licences, to limit its availability across the country.