Keir Starmer to crack down on smokers with total ban announced in King's Speech
Labour promised to implement this ban if they took power and there is speculation it could be included today
The plan put forward by Rishi Sunak to ban young people from ever being able to legally smoke is set to come back today in the King’s Speech. Former prime minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to crack down on smoking through his flagship Tobacco and Vapes Bill last year.
The Bill – dubbed the “greatest piece of public health legislation in a generation” – had earned wide cross-party support and was progressing through Parliament when the General Election was called.
Charities and health experts were dismayed when the Bill was shelved as a result. Labour promised to implement this ban if they took power, and since the Bill is largely ready, government sources say it makes sense to include it now, although with some “tweaks”.
The proposed law would stop anyone born after 2009 from legally smoking by gradually raising the minimum age to buy cigarettes from the current age of 18. The law would have made it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1 2009, as well as cracking down on youth vaping with stricter regulations on flavours and packaging.
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The letter, whose signatories include experts from leading health and care charities including Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), Cancer Research UK and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), said that the Bill “would have passed by summer recess if the election had not been called”.
“Labour cannot achieve its manifesto commitment to halve differences in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions unless it prioritises ending smoking,” according to the letter written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
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Dr Jeanette Dickson, chair of council at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said previously: “The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to radically improve the health and well-being of our society, and safeguard future generations from the devastation caused by smoking.
“It is imperative that bringing back this essential Bill is a priority for the new Government.” Greg Fell, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, added: “Put simply, this would be the greatest piece of public health legislation in a generation.”
The change comes after it emerged that more than 133,000 men die early every year in the UK, often from preventable illnesses. The report suggested two in five of all men die too young, while those living in the most deprived regions are 81% more likely to die prematurely than those in the wealthiest, according to the charity Movember.
The charity argued the leading causes of death, such as lung cancer and heart disease, could be prevented by cutting out smoking, reducing alcohol intake, eating well and attending health screening and appointments.
