Smoking kills one person every hour in London, Cancer Research UK claims

Smoking causes the death of one person in London every hour, according to new analysis.

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) estimate that tobacco causes more than 4,300 cancer deaths each year in the capital, representing more than a quarter (27 per cent) of total fatalities from the disease.

One in ten (11.5 per cent) Londoners still smoke, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), and rates are higher in more deprived boroughs.

To mark World No Tobacco Day on Thursday, the charity has written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to establish a “Smokefree Fund” to pay for local services and public health campaigns.

Cancer Research UK spokesperson for London, Lynn Daly, told the Standard: “Smoke-filled pubs, colourful cigarette packets and cigarette vending machines are all now things of the past. But from these shocking figures, it’s clear the distressing toll of tobacco is not – and that’s why we need the help of people across the city to make smoking history.  

“Enough is enough. Most people who smoke want to quit, but they need more support. So, the UK Government must urgently deliver the funding needed to tackle the number one cause of death in London.”

She added: “Many of us know friends and family whose lives are at risk or have lost loved ones to smoking, so we hope that as many supporters as possible will sign our vital petition to the Prime Minister. In a world without cancers caused by smoking, we can make more moments that matter and help people live longer, healthier lives, free from the fear of this devasting disease.”

The Government has pledged to make the UK smoke-free by 2030, but CRUK said ministers were nine years off target.

Around 6.6 million Britons were regular smokers in 2021, according to ONS figures. It is the smallest proportion of smokers since records began in 2011, a sign that tobacco control and vaping have helped to bring down rates over the past two decades.

But according to the CRUK’s model, smoking rates would still need to drop by 70 per cent for the 2030 target to be met.

On Monday, the Government announced it would close a loophole allowing retailers to give free samples of vapes to children as part of a crackdown on the “unacceptable” marketing of vape products to under-18s.

NHS statistics for 2021 showed that 9 per cent of 11 to 15-year-old children used e-cigarettes, up from 6 per cent in 2018. There is growing concern that firms are targeting children through cheap, colourful vape products.

The Government said that there will also be a review into banning retailers selling “nicotine-free” vapes to under-18s.