As someone who lost both their parents to smoking related heart issues, I believe the recent announcement that the Government is creating the first smoke-free generation, by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 this year or younger will never be legally sold tobacco products, is a brave and much needed stance.
While e-cigarettes are not risk free, the Government supports the use of e-cigarettes to help adults stop smoking and contribute towards the goal of a smoke free England.
Some of the highest success rates of those trying to stop smoking are among adults using an e-cigarette, with evidence suggesting that an additional 70,000 people stop every year as a result of using these devices. An estimated 2.4 million vapers are former smokers, and the Government's Swap to Stop Scheme aims to provide almost one in five of all adult smokers in England with a vape kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit the habit.
However, it is deeply worrying that the number of children using vapes has tripled in the past three years, with 20.5 per cent of children having tried vaping in 2023. As my colleague Andrea Leadsom, the Minister for Public Health, has stated - it is completely unacceptable when businesses knowingly and deliberately encourage children to use a product that was designed for adults to quit smoking.
Responding to the rise in the number of children vaping, the Government has proposed banning disposable vapes, new powers to restrict flavours specifically marketed at children and changing how vapes are displayed in shops. In addition, Trading Standards Officers will be able to levy "on the spot" fines to tackle underage tobacco and vapes sales.
These measures will be supported by greater enforcement activity by Trading Standards, HMRC and Border Force. We must take every step to stop the proliferation of illicit vaping products in our communities, often imported from countries such as China and breaching UK regulations on product size and nicotine strength and sold to children. A new “illicit vapes enforcement squad” – led by Trading Standards – has been established to enforce the rules on vaping and tackle illicit vapes and underage sales, with the power to remove illegal products from shops and at our borders.
I note your concerns about the World Health Organisation's proposals around vaping for the Conference of the Parties Tenth Meeting (COP10). However, the UK remains committed to the convention as a world leader in tobacco control. This is compatible with the position that my colleague Andrea Leadsom set out during a recent debate, that as a sovereign nation, it is not within the WHO’s remit to intervene in our internal affairs.
The Government has regularly set out its position on vaping at the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Led by the civil servant Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, during the Conference in February 2024, the Government has been clear that the delegation would not agree to any decisions which would impact on the UK's ability to make regulated vapes available for adult smokers who wish to quit smoking.
My colleague Andrea Leadsom - the Minister for Public Health - has committed to provide a statement to Parliament after the Conference, updating MPs on the proceedings and key outcomes, which I will consider with great interest.
As part of the Spring Budget 2024, the Government announced that a new duty would be introduced on vapes from October 2026. There will be a consultation around the new duty over the coming months, which will be aimed at discouraging non-smokers from taking up vaping. It is estimated that the new duty could raise £445 million for public services like the NHS from 2028/29. Tobacco duty will be increased from October 2026 to maintain the current financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking.
However, it is recognised that vaping will continue to play an important role in helping smokers give up the habit. Our departure from the EU provides an important opportunity for the UK to diverge from - and improve on - the EU regulations on vaping so the Government will be shortly introducing a Tobacco and Vapes Bill that will help prevent children from vaping, whilst ensuring that adult smokers are able to continue accessing a product that can help them quit.
I am confident that the actions being taken by the Government will help prevent children from vaping, whilst ensuring that adult smokers are able to continue accessing a product that can help them quit.
