Riot Sends Boris To Westminster

Bemused Londoners took to social media after a flat-bed delivery truck was seen transporting the former PM around London inside a glass case that read: IN CASE OF EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS, with videos of the event racking up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok.

Ex PM Rishi Sunak tried to bring in some of the world's strictest anti-smoking rules and wanted to ban disposable vapes, ban flavours and ban branding, which Riot Labs say would be “a disaster for the vape sector and more importantly, the millions of adult smokers trying to quit cigarettes.”

Rishi’s plan failed to become law before he called an election, but Labour recently told Reuters they will still “ensure the next generation can never legally buy cigarettes” and reportedly still plans to ban flavours.

A recent study – conducted by One Poll and commissioned by the UKVIA – found 83% of surveyed vapers say flavoured vapes helped them ‘pack in their smoking habit’. It also found 1 in 3 respondents (an estimated 1.5 million vapers) believe a ban on flavours would lead them back to conventional cigarettes.

The Royal College of Physicians warns that “The wholesale limiting of flavours accessible to adults is not recommended. The use of flavours by adults trying to quit smoking is an integral part of the effectiveness of vaping as a quit aid.”

Ben Johnson, Riot Labs CEO, commented: “This year has been a tumultuous one for the vape sector, with the Government trying - and ultimately failing - to rush through unjustified new vaping laws which would have been dangerous for millions of adult smokers trying to quit. 

“The reality of Rishi’s vaping legislation is giving people less choice, less value and ultimately less reasons to quit smoking at all. Now Labour’s in power, smoking and vaping policy will be back on the lengthy to-do list and we'll be taking the fight to policy makers to stand-up for the vape sector.”

The Boris stunt comes a month after Riot Labs and Northampton vape shop, Right Vape, last took aim at the vaping legislation. Opening the “The Flavourless Vape shop” on Kingsley Park Terrace in Northampton, the quit smoking missionaries drew attention to what the vape shop of the future could look like if legislation was brought in, quite literally. 

Opened by Rishi Sunak lookalike, Sanju, the launch of the shop even entered the mainstream after taking an unexpected turn when “Rishi Sunak” was egged by an angry member of the public who mistook him for the real PM. 

Johnson added: “We are massively in favour of laws to tackle youth vaping, such as a fully funded licence scheme for retailers - but we strongly disagree on the Government's approach to a flavour ban."

Why not let your new local MP know about how important flavours are to keeping you smoke-free? The various websites are currently being updated with details of the new MPs. Keep checking this one so you can write directly to yours: https://www.writetothem.com/?a=westminstermp

Also, you can write to Wes Streeting at the Department for Health now:

Address post to him at the Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries Unit, Department of Health and Social Care, 39 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0EU

You can send an email to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care here: [email protected].

Photo Credit:

• Flags Photo by Kristina Gadeikyte on Unsplash, Parliament Photo by N R on Unsplash

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV

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Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.