Help create a smokefree UK
Smoking is still the biggest cause of cancer in the UK.
On 5 November, the UK Government introduced legislation to help prevent the next generation from ever starting smoking to Parliament, through a new Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
If implemented, this legislation would progressively raise the age of sale of tobacco – helping to create the first ever smokefree generation.
Now that this legislation has been brought to Parliament, we want to make sure it is passed and implemented in all four nations to help create a smokefree UK. But we need your help.
MSs, MSPs, and MLAs will shortly be voting on whether to apply the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to their own legislative framework, so every email sent helps to encourage them to vote in favour.
It takes just two minutes to take action. By filling out the form on this page with your details, you'll be taken to a template email you can send to your MS if you are in Wales, MSP if you are in Scotland, or MLA if you are in Northern Ireland. Let's make history, together.
How would this policy work?
The proposed legislation would ensure that people born on or after 1 January 2009 (turning 15 this year) would not legally be sold tobacco in their lifetime. This would be achieved by raising the age of sale of tobacco by one year every year. It won’t prevent anyone born before that date from being sold tobacco in future.
Preventing young people from starting smoking is key to a smokefree UK. That's why 'stopping the start' by raising the age of sale of tobacco has been an important call of our Smokefree UK campaign. There is no safe way to use tobacco, so it is important that the legislation applies to all types of tobacco products.
Didn't MPs already vote in favour of this policy?
On 16 April, 2024 at a session called Second Reading, MPs voted in favour of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which included legislation to raise the age of sale of tobacco, an important step on the road to a smokefree UK. However, when the general election was called, UK Parliament had only one week before it was dissolved to pass any outstanding legislation, in a process called ‘wash-up’. Unfortunately, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill had not progressed far enough through the legislative process to be included, and so was not passed.
This general election, we advocated for the next UK Government, regardless of the political party, to re-introduce the legislation to help end cancers caused by smoking. Then, on 17 July, in their first King’s Speech, the new UK Government announced that they would do just that. In order to become law, this legislation will now need to re-start its journey through Parliament.
As health is a devolved matter, in order for each of the devolved nations to introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, they will each need to vote on it through a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM). An LCM is voted on by the devolved nations to agree on whether they wish to include the Bill in their own legislative framework. That’s why it’s important that MSs, MSPs, and MLAs support the legislation. You can help encourage them to do so.
What other measures does the Tobacco and Vapes Bill propose?
After the previous UK Government’s Bill had to be dropped due to the snap general election, the new UK Government have reintroduced legislation to raise the age of sale in a new Tobacco and Vapes Bill. All the core elements of the previous Bill are included, namely key legislation to progressively raise the age of sale of tobacco products. There are also some new proposed additions to the Bill. Among these are powers for the Secretary of State to introduce a licensing scheme for retailers that sell tobacco, vapes and nicotine products and more measures to curb youth vaping by changing the appeal and appearance of vapes. It also proposes making more outdoor spaces, such as outside hospitals and schools, smokefree. You can read our full analysis here: https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2024/11/05/new-tobacco-and-vapes-bill-introduced-to-parliament/
