Support for New Bill Expressed

When the Conservative government failed to push the Tobacco and Vapes Bill through at the end of its parliamentary life due to the snap election, Cancer Research UK called it “disappointing” and said it was a “backwards step”.

“At Cancer Research UK, we’ve been actively supporting the progress of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. This proposed legislation would mean that people born since the start of 2009 would never legally be sold tobacco products,” the charity said.

Cancer Research UK met the King’s Speech by announcing: “We’re thrilled to have it back on the parliamentary agenda.”

The charity accompanied its expression of delight by releasing modelling showing that cancers caused by smoking have hit an all-time UK high of 160 cases per day.  

“As one of our five pledges for Longer, better lives, we called on all political parties to commit to help end cancers caused by smoking, including by raising the age of sale of tobacco, with over 21,000 campaigners signing an open letter asking party leaders to back our calls,” it added. “Bold action, like this legislation, that prevents people from starting to smoke will help us achieve the ambition set out in this pledge and create a smokefree UK.”

Cancer Research UK noted that during the election both Labour and the Conservatives pledged to continue their cross-party support for the Bill, and with an explicit commitment “to action on tobacco and vaping” in the Labour manifesto, “we are hopeful that the new age of sale legislation will be successfully implemented”. 

The cancer charity notes that although the Bill will extend UK wide, the application of it will vary across nations. 

“As legislation to raise the age of sale of tobacco has been a key call of our #SmokefreeUK campaign, we will continue to campaign to ensure that this legislation is passed and implemented in full, across all four nations,” it concluded.

Support for the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill is already being expressed on the floor of the House of Commons.

In his maiden speech to the House, Jim Dickson, the Labour MP for Dartford, former cabinet member for health in Lambeth council and former Chair of the London Smokefree Councillor Network, gave his full bloodied backing of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to Parliament.

Dickson stated: “I am particularly supportive of [the government’s] decision to retain the Bill proposed by the last Government to prevent all those born after 2009 from starting smoking. In Dartford, nearly 10,000 people, almost 12% of the population, smoke, with resulting health and care costs of more than £24 million a year according to Action on Smoking and Health, and of course, tragically, many early deaths. When it comes to smoking, it is vital that we stop the start.”

Bob Blackman MP, former Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health also voiced his support for Labour’s commitment to bring back the Bill.

He said he was “absolutely delighted” to hear that Labour will continue with the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, “which, as many colleagues will know, I have championed through Parliament on many occasions. 

“We had reached the end of its Committee stage, which you will remember, Mr Deputy Speaker, but we did not progress the Bill afterwards. I hope that it will be introduced rapidly, and that we can get it on to the statute book as fast as possible.”

Photo Credit:

• Photo by ian kelsall 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.