The UK has taken a historic step in public health as the Tobacco and Vapes Act received royal assent, making it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who introduced the legislation, hailed the move as a measure that will save an “enormous” number of lives and put the country “on track to end smoking within a generation”.
The law, which prevents children aged 17 or younger from ever legally buying cigarettes, is the first of its kind in Europe. Government modelling estimates that smoking rates among 14 to 30-year-olds will fall from 11.2% in 2023 to “effectively zero” by 2050, and that around 154,800 deaths will be prevented in England by 2100.
Health campaigners have described the legislation as a “watershed moment”. Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said it was a “truly historic achievement” that will shield children from the lifelong harms of tobacco. Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, added that “it is no longer a question of if smoking will end but rather a question of when”.
Mr Sunak told the Press Association that the policy was likely the most impactful of his tenure, tackling “the single biggest preventable cause of ill health and death in our country”. He expressed hope that the law would mean “many more mums, dads, brothers, sisters, children are going to be around for years to come”.
