UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is encountering staunch opposition to his proposed smoking ban legislation, as it faces a critical vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
The bill, introduced by the British Indian leader last year, aims to establish a "smokefree generation" by prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to individuals born after January 1, 2009, effectively targeting those under the age of 15.
If successfully passed through Parliament, the proposed legislation will implement some of the most rigorous anti-smoking regulations globally, marking a significant step in the country's public health efforts.
“I propose that in future we raise the smoking age by one year, every year. That means a 14-year-old today will never legally be sold a cigarette and that they — and their generation — can grow up smoke-free. We know this works,” Sunak had declared at the Conservative Party conference in October last year.
As there is Opposition backing for the bill in Parliament and governing Conservative MPs have a free vote on the bill, any Tory votes against the bill will not be seen as a full-blown rebellion against the Prime Minister.
But two of Sunak’s immediate predecessors, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, have been leading a very vocal group of Tories who plan to vote against the bill as “un-Conservative” and taking away choice from the public.
“The truth is that there is no safe level of tobacco consumption. It is uniquely harmful, and that is why we are taking this important action today to protect the next generation,” said UK Health Secretary Victoria Atkins.
“This Bill will save thousands of lives, ease the strain on our NHS [National Health Service], and improve the UK’s productivity,” she said.
Under the new law, smoking itself would not be criminalised, and anyone who can legally buy tobacco will not be prevented from doing so.
The ban aims to stop people from smoking even before they start as the government pointed to its highly addictive nature, with four in five smokers picking it up before the age of 20, remaining addicted for life.
If passed, the bill will progress to the next stage, bringing the UK closer to creating the first smoke-free generation, the government says.
Under the plans, trading standards officers would get new powers to issue on-the-spot 100-pound fines to shops selling tobacco or vapes to children, with all the money raised going towards further enforcement.
"This historic legislation will consign smoking to the 'ash heap of history'," said Deborah Arnott, head of the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill additionally grants the government expanded authority to address youth vaping by imposing restrictions on flavours and regulating the sale and packaging of vapes to diminish their appeal to children.
The UK's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) emphasized that while vaping may assist adult smokers in quitting, it should never be taken up by non-smokers or children.
DHSC cautioned that the long-term health consequences of vaping remain uncertain, and the nicotine present in vaping products can lead to high levels of addiction.
Official statistics reveal that smoking, responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths annually, stands as the UK's largest preventable cause of death, costing the NHS and economy an estimated GBP 17 billion per year—surpassing the annual revenue of GBP 10 billion generated from tobacco taxation.
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