MPs Vote Through “Landmark” Bill

The UK Government says: “Subject to consultation, the sale of vape flavours that overtly appeal to children - such as bubble gum, gummy bear and cotton candy - could be brought to an end, alongside restrictions on vape packaging that is designed to appeal to young people. 

“The bill will bring in a total ban on vape advertising and sponsorship which will include displays that will likely be seen by children and young people such as on buses, in cinemas and in shop windows, bringing this in line with current tobacco restrictions. 

“All vaping and nicotine products will be banned from being sold to under 18s - closing loopholes on non-nicotine vapes and nicotine pouches. Vapes will also be banned in vending machines, where they can be easily accessed by children. The free distribution of these products will also be banned.”

Passing the Bill to the next stage, the Government claims it is bringing the UK one step closer to creating the first smoke-free generation. 

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said: “The number of children vaping is growing at an alarming rate and without urgent intervention, we’re going to have a generation of children with long-term addiction. 

“It is unacceptable that these harmful products are being deliberately targeted at children with brightly coloured packaging and flavours like ‘gummy bear’ and ‘rainbow burst’. 

“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill provides the protection that children and young people need to avoid a life imprisoned by addiction. That’s why it’s so incredibly important it is voted through.

“To support current smokers to quit smoking, the government will provide £70 million for stop smoking services. This is in addition to all hospitals integrating ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation interventions into routine care, making every clinical consultation count. 

“To bolster enforcement, the government will provide an additional £10 million for Trading Standards to crack down on illicit trade. This comes off the back of new data from National Trading Standards (NTS) that shows over 1 million illicit vapes were seized inland by Trading Standards in 2023 to 2024, a 59% increase compared to the previous year.”

The bill will also include powers to introduce a licensing scheme for retailers to sell tobacco, vape and nicotine products in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and will introduce on-the-spot fines of £200 to retailers found to be selling these products to people underage.

Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, said: “This major piece of legislation will accelerate a smoke-free generation and lead to children never being trapped by addiction to cigarettes with lifelong harms to their health.

“The rising number of children vaping is a significant concern, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will help prevent marketing vapes to children, which is utterly unacceptable. Smoking results in direct harm across a person’s life course but also causes harms to others around them, including children, pregnant women and the medically vulnerable.

“Reducing the number of vulnerable people exposed to second-hand smoke, as well as preventing non-smokers taking up vaping is important and will improve the health of the nation.”

Neither Streeting nor Whitty are correct. The last report from Action on Smoking and Health showed teen vaping rates has fallen.

NHS National Medical Director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “Vaping among young people is a significant and growing concern and we wholeheartedly welcome the government’s commitment to tackle this as part of the measures outlined in this bill.

“Smoking also remains the leading cause of preventable deaths and has a huge impact on the NHS, costing billions every year and we look forward to working with the government and partners to ensure the next generation grow up smoke- and vape-free.

“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will give government the powers to extend the indoor smoking ban to specific outdoor spaces: with children’s playgrounds, outside schools and hospitals all being considered in England, subject to consultation. These powers will also allow places that are currently smoke-free to be made vape-free, subject to consultation.”

Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “The announcement of additional funding for smoking cessation services is desperately needed to help the tens of thousands of existing smokers who want to quit, which is incredibly difficult to do without support. Stop smoking services have suffered drastic cuts in recent years, but when they are appropriately funded they do a fantastic job of supporting people to stop smoking for good.

“Today’s vote on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the crucial next step towards protecting younger generations from the harms of smoking, by stopping them from ever taking up cigarettes. However, it’s only by tackling the whole problem that we can truly begin to put a stop to the devastating effects this deadly addiction has on the health of the nation, and the huge burden it places on the NHS.”

Photo Credit:

• Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash, cropped, resized, coloured

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.