The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has proposed that the age at which individuals can legally purchase cigarettes and tobacco in England should increase by one year each year until it eventually prohibits all purchases. Sunak stated that MPs will vote on the issue, with the age rising annually from 18 years, meaning that from 2022, a 14-year-old would no longer be able to buy tobacco in England. This idea was first suggested by a government-initiated review in 2022. Sunak believes this will help to curb the leading cause of preventable ill-health in England.
When speaking to the Conservative Party conference, Sunak stated that smoking tobacco is linked to a greater risk of stroke, heart disease, dementia, stillbirths, and roughly 25% of cancer deaths, with no safe level of consumption. Smoking rates have reduced since 1970. However, there are still over five million smokers in England and six million throughout the entire UK. Currently, 1 in 9 individuals aged between 18-24 smoke, according to the Office for National Statistics. Sunak is proposing the change to reduce these numbers, so fewer teenagers take up smoking.
Sunak has supported the gradual increase of the age before one can buy cigarettes and tobacco since it was first suggested in 2020 by Javed Khan, the previous chief executive of Barnardo’s, and encouraged by ministers to consider new ways to fight smoking. However, at the time, the government, then led by Boris Johnson, believed this move was unlikely to happen. Sunak has decided to support this scheme as a means of achieving the government’s ambition for England to be smoke-free by 2030, meaning less than 5% of the population smoke.
Through a free vote, members of Parliament will decide on the age increase. The Prime Minister has declared that no government whip will instruct Tory MPs on which side to vote, calling it a personal matter of conscience. Sunak has also advised that the UK government would consider restricting the sale of disposable vapes, look at flavourings and device packaging to counteract the increasing number of children using them. One possibility could be a total ban on their sale. Cancer Research UK’s Michelle Mitchell praised Sunak’s announcement on the smoking age as a “critical step.” According to Deborah Arnott, the head of the Action on Smoking and Health campaign group, the Prime Minister has declared an unprecedented set of ideas. These will hasten the end of smoking
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