Reintroduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

The ALLIANCE welcomes the reintroduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill by the UK Government after committing to it in their manifesto.

Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death, disability and ill health in the UK. It causes around 80,000 deaths a year, causes 1-in-4 of all cancer deaths and kills up to two-thirds of its long-term users.   

The ALLIANCE welcomes the reintroduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill by the UK Government after committing to it in their manifesto. We believe that this Bill contributes to a preventative, public health approach to health improvement and is a positive step towards the whole of the UK becoming smoke and vape free.

A similar Bill’s progress was interrupted last year due to the General Election being called by the previous government. This iteration of the Bill encompasses measures proposed by the former government and also some new ones. One of the major measures is that the Bill will create the first smoke free generation by ensuring that children turning 15 this year or younger can never legally be sold tobacco.

The Bill will be applied UK wide and had been developed in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.  This is so that a cohesive legal approach is taken across all four nations to regulate tobacco and vaping products. However, measures may vary to be in line with devolution settlements.  

Scottish Minister for Public and Women’s Health, Jenni Minto, welcomed the Scottish Parliament’s consideration of the Bill, stating that:

“Since the UK General Election in July 2024, we have continued to collaborate across the 4 nations on the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which supports our ambition for a tobacco free Scotland by 2034.

Our 2024-25 Programme for Government reaffirmed our commitment to working with the UK Government and Devolved Governments on the Bill and I am pleased to announce that this strengthened Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been introduced into Westminster today.

These measures are central to our Tobacco and Vaping Framework and represent an opportunity to make a real, significant, generational impact on the future health of Scotland. We will continue to work collaboratively with the UK Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure as far as possible that measures are implemented in a consistent manner across the UK”.

To prevent sales being made to under 18s, all vaping and nicotine products will be banned from being sold to this age group. Taking a step further on related offences, there will also be a new ‘on the spot’ £200 fixed penalty notice in England and Wales introduced. 

To limit their prominence, the Bill will ban vape and nicotine product advertisement. The new legislation will prohibit advertising of vapes on all channels, including billboards and bus stops, as well as sponsorship (for example in stadiums or festivals). The legislation will also prohibit vapes being sold through vending machines.  It will also ministers to to regulate the flavours, packaging, and display of vapes so that they do not appeal to children.

It was also announced that the UK Government would be exploring standardising packaging for all tobacco products like cigars or pipe tobacco and not just cigarettes.  This is a loophole in existing regulation that has been exploited by industry to avoid plain packaging on certain products.

Key to this Bill is ensuring that people who already smoke are supported to quit. One way this will be achieved is by placing pack inserts in cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco would provide information about quitting and motivational cessation messages within product packaging. This type of measure could help more people who smoke quit and complements existing regulations on tobacco packaging. 

The indoor smoking ban that came into existence in 2006, will also be extended to specific outdoor spaces such as areas around health and social care environments. The intention is also for most public places and workplaces to be smoke and vape free.

We know that this Bill will be a step towards Scotland and the rest of the UK becoming smoke free, preventing new smokers, saving lives, reducing pressure on the NHS and boosting the economy.

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