Labour has confirmed it will keep Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban after its inclusion in the King’s speech on Wednesday (July 17).
The measure is now back in government policy having been dropped by the previous Tory government in the run-up to the election.
It had been approved by 383 votes to 67 in April.
Health groups have welcomed the move. ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) chief executive Deborah Arnott said: “Smoking puts pressure on our NHS but the greatest financial impact is the damage to our economy due to lost productivity.”
Smokers rights group Forest has said the move is evidence of a “nanny state” adding: “It will simply drive more people to the black market and could make smoking cool again."
Here is what it all means.
What is the UK smoking ban?
The new Labour government will raise the legal smoking age by one year, every year.
This means that anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 will never be able to purchase tobacco legally.
Speaking at the opening of parliament, King Charles said: “A Bill will be introduced to progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes and impose limits on the sale and marketing of vapes. My ministers will also legislate to restrict advertising of junk food to children along with the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to children.”
Labour has also committed to ensuring all hospitals integrate ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation interventions into routine care.
“Prevention will always be better, and cheaper, than a cure,” their manifesto read.
“So, we must take preventative public health measures to tackle the biggest killers and support people to live longer, healthier lives.”
Smoking-related illnesses are said to cost the NHS around £2.4 billion and the incremental age restriction was the idea of Dr Javed Khan, who led an independent review.
When is it in effect?
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is expected to be implemented by 2027 which will mean that anyone turning 18 that year will not be allowed to smoke.
This means that it applies to anyone who is currently aged 14 or under.
Does the same law apply to vapes?
Vaping is allowed in the UK at present and there are no nationwide legal restrictions or laws enforced on vaping in public areas.
Politicians have long since worried that children could get hooked on nicotine from vaping after being drawn in by bright packaging and sweet flavours.
Vaping in schools is said to be a “huge issue” in London up to 8 per cent of students partaking.
Labour has said it will ban vapes from being branded and advertised to appeal to children.
The bill could lead to measures on the kind of packaging for vapes, which can sometimes be particularly appealing to children, as well as sweet flavours such as candy floss.
However, the king’s speech stopped short of an outright ban on disposable vapes.
This measure was not part of the Labour manifesto despite Sir Keir Starmer calling for it in January.
Where is it illegal to smoke in the UK?
The last Labour government banned smoking from indoor public areas and raised the legal age of buying tobacco from 16 to 18.
Since 2007, you must be 18 years old to smoke. You cannot do it in any pub, restaurant, nightclub and most workplaces and work vehicles.
As for vaping, there are no legal restrictions entrenched in law in the same way but establishments are able to impose their own bans.
You are not allowed to vape, for instance, on the Transport for London network, in hospitals and many restaurants.
How many people smoke in the UK?
ASH has stated that 6.4 million adults smoke cigarettes in the UK.
People aged 25 to 34 years had the highest proportion of current smokers in the UK, states the Office for National Statistics.
The figures are the lowest since records began in the 1960s. And the percentage of people who have never smoked a cigarette has also fallen from 37.4 per cent to 62.1 per cent
The UK set an objective in 2019 for the UK to have fewer than 5 per cent of the population smoking by 2030 but Dr Khan’s report foresaw that the target would likely be missed.
His research saw that the UK would likely miss the mark by at least seven years if bold action was not taken.
Dr Khan and the government will be hoping this total ban will put an end to the addiction.
