Reform UK's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf has unveiled a plan to introduce national licensing for vape shops, capping the number of premises at 1,000 to combat the 'decay' of British high streets. The move aims to reduce the number of vape shops by 70% and target those suspected of being fronts for organised crime.
Licensing Regime and Enforcement
Under the proposal, a joint unit comprising police officers, immigration enforcement teams, and trading standards officers would be authorised to enter suspected 'dodgy shops'. The licences would be allocated to local authorities, and any unlicensed shop would be immediately closed.
Mr Yusuf declared: "The decay of Britain is equally visible on our high streets. Yet, as legitimate businesses close, we are witnessing an artificial boom in cash-intensive operations. The number of nail bars has surged by 91% since 2010. The number of foreign barber shops has doubled – trebled in places like Essex and Doncaster."
Crime Links and Financial Impact
He added: "Nobody believes these survive alone on legitimate commercial demand. In fact, the National Crime Agency has estimated £1bn in criminal cash is laundered through high street front businesses every year." A Trading Standards report from earlier this year estimated that as many as half of convenience stores and vape retailers in some areas have links with organised crime.
Mr Yusuf also announced plans to make it illegal to use a vehicle for business purposes without holding a full British licence, excluding lorry drivers delivering to the UK from other countries. A 'tip line' for reporting illegal working or gang activity, with potential cash rewards, was also proposed.
Reward Scheme and 'Deliveroo Law'
Speaking at a news conference, Mr Yusuf said Reform would make it a legal duty for local authorities to investigate every 'credible report' they receive. He referenced a US system that rewards whistleblowers with a share of fines from successful prosecutions of serious financial crime. In America, tipsters are entitled to between 10% and 30% of proceeds once the recovered amount passes $1,000,000. In May 2023, a whistleblower was paid $279 million in a secret case.
This comes after Reform announced it will fine firms 10% of their global revenues and make chief executives personally and criminally liable for illegal working under a so-called 'Deliveroo Law'. For example, Just Eat's global revenue for the first half of 2025 was £1.51bn, which would mean a fine of £150m under the plans.
Political Response
Nigel Farage's home affairs spokesman said: "The Tories and Labour have made Britain the softest-touch country in the world for illegal migrants to undercut British workers. Under a Reform government, Britain will have the harshest penalties in the world for those employing illegal migrants."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "Illegal working undermines honest business, exploits vulnerable individuals and fuels organised immigration crime. We are already closing the loopholes that allow illegal migrants to work in the UK by extending right to work checks to the gig economy and delivery sector. Employers who break the law face severe consequences, including fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker, business closures, licence revocations and prison sentences of up to five years."
