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Rishi Sunak ‘s bold plan to ban Generation Alpha from smoking has today moved a step closer to becoming law. Under the Prime Minister’s flagship proposal, anyone born after 2009 won’t ever be able to legally buy tobacco. If eventually passed, it means the age at which people can purchase cigarettes will be raised by one year annually . But what does the full Bill actually contain? And how do the measures compare with other nations? Here MailOnline explains everything you need to know about the proposed smoking ban…
What is in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill? The Bill will make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009. The legislation would not ban smoking outright, as anyone who can legally buy tobacco now will be able to continue to do so if the Bill becomes law. The law would also hand ministers power to restrict the flavours and promotion of vapes in an effort to thwart the UK’s child e-cig epidemic. This could change how nicotine-laden vapes are displayed in shops, moving them away from other products such as sweets. They would be limited in flavours and sold in plain, tobacco-style packaging. Council officers will also be given powers to dole out £100 on-the-spot fines to shops caught breaking the rules.
Why is the Government introducing the legislation? Announcing the plans last year, Mr Sunak said he was motivated by wanting to ‘build a better and brighter future for our children’. The Government believes the phased ban, raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco by one year every year from 2027, will lead to 1.7million fewer people smoking by 2075. This could save tens of thousands of lives, and avoid up to 115,000 cases of strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other lung diseases.
The smoking ban was initially recommended in a Government-commissioned report last year by ex-children’s charity chief Javed Khan. He warned that that without urgent action, England would miss the 2030 ‘smoke-free’ target by at least seven years, with the poorest areas not meeting it until 2044.
How soon could the bill pass? Health leaders, NHS bosses and medical professionals have widely welcomed the plan to create smoke-free generation. A final vote in the Lords is expected to take place in the middle of June after the bill passes its third reading there, but much has to happen in the Commons first. Today was MPs’ first opportunity to debate the bill, and to vote on it. The committee stage comes later in April, when amendments can be tabled. There will then be a vote on them in May and a further vote by MPs on the bill’s third reading.
What are opponents of the Bill saying? Critics and MPs opposed to ‘nanny-state’ measures worry the move to create a smoke-free generation will backfire and cause a black market boom. Some fear that health chiefs may eye up crackdowns on sugar, caffeine and alcohol next, calling the move a ‘slippery slope’. Vocal nay-sayers include ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage and former PM Boris Johnson, who last week labelled the ban ‘absolutely nuts’.
Liz Truss , Johnson’s short-lived successor, also told the BBC : ‘We shouldn’t be telling people not to smoke and I worry about where it will lead.’ Maxwell Marlow, director of research at thinktank The Adam Smith Institute, also said the ban was ‘no way to govern a free society’. He told MailOnline: ‘ The public have not been properly asked whether they want their liberties to be infringed in this unprecedented manner. ‘This ban is a charter for criminals, who will sell far more dangerous products to the unsuspecting public, even those who smoke now.
‘This is a slippery slope, and gives rise to the valid concern that our public health bureaucrats will next seek to further regulate sugar, caffeine, and alcohol because they don’t believe that the British public is smart enough to understand the risks. Responding to the ban’s backlash, England’s chief medical officer, however has rejected ‘pro-choice’ arguments. Professor Sir Chris Whitty argued instead that cigarettes were a product ‘designed to take your choice away’.
How do the measures compare with other countries? Measures in the Bill would constitute some of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the world. The plans were inspired by a sweeping crackdown planned by New Zealand ‘s previous government. But in November, the country’s new Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced he was ditching the ‘world first’ plan, with the U-turn instead funding tax cuts.
Countries with notable restrictions on smoking include Mexico , which has smoking bans at beaches, parks and some homes. Portugal is aiming to become smoke-free by 2040, with plans to ban the sale of tobacco products in bars and cafes. Meanwhile, Canada became the first country to require health warnings to be printed on individual cigarettes.
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