Topline
The U.K.’s House of Commons approved a bill on Tuesday that will ban tobacco sales for anyone born in 2009 or later, a policy pushed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who hopes to create a “smoke-free generation” in Britain despite opposition from conservatives.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak argued the legislation would create a “smoke-free generation.”
Key Facts
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill—approved in a 383-67 vote—will ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009, though it does not ban smoking outright.
Anyone who can legally purchase tobacco now will be able to do so if the bill becomes law, though the legislation will raise the legal age for tobacco sales by one year each year.
The bill also includes provisions regulating the marketing and packaging of vapes and other nicotine products to make them less appealing to children.
Despite opposition from some of the Conservative Party, including 57 votes against the bill, 178 parliament members from the party voted in favor of the legislation.
Each parliament member from the left-leaning Labour Party voted in favor of the bill.
What To Watch For
Other amendments will likely be added to the bill, including the age of people affected and licensing requirements for vape retailers, according to the Guardian. The House of Lords is expected to vote on the bill for final approval in June.
Chief Critic
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the smoking ban “absolutely nuts” and said it was “mad” the Conservative Party was considering “banning cigars.” Former Prime Minister Liz Truss—Sunak’s predecessor—said the law was the work of a “nanny state” and “emblematic of a technocratic establishment” that wants to “limit people’s freedom.”
Contra
The British government cited support from several health care officials and organizations in proposing the bill, including Neil O’Brien, the U.K.’s public health minister, who said last year the legislation would “protect a generation of children from ever experiencing the harms associated with tobacco.” Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK’s executive director, said the legislation is a “critical step on the road to creating the first generation free of tobacco.” About 33% of people in the U.K. support phasing out smoking through the ban, in addition to 29% who say they would support an outright ban, according to an October survey by YouGov.
Surprising Fact
About 12.9% of the U.K.’s population—or 6.4 million people—are smokers, according to the Office for National Statistics, and the Action on Smoking and Health estimates about 400,000 children aged 11 to 15 have tried smoking. About 11.5% of adults in the U.S. (28.3 million) smoke.
Big Number
80,000. That’s how many people die in the U.K. annually because of tobacco use, killing about two-thirds of long-term users, according to the BBC. The British government estimates the smoking ban will prevent more than 470,000 cases of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and other disease by the end of the century.
Key Background
Sunak introduced the smoking ban last year, months after a similar law was introduced in New Zealand that would have raised the legal smoking age each year. That bill was shot down in February. Other countries have implemented strict anti-tobacco laws in recent years, including Mexico, which approved a total ban on public smoking last year. The Portuguese government released plans last May that will extend a ban on public smoking and limit tobacco sales to create a “tobacco-free generation” by 2040.
Further Reading
Rishi Sunak Plans To Raise Smoking Age Year-By-Year (Financial Times)
