British e-liquid manufacturer Riot Labs has launched a satirical candidate, Riot Man, ahead of the Clacton by-election, using the campaign to highlight concerns over proposed restrictions on vape packaging, flavours and retail displays.
Riot Man, a caped character campaigning on a manifesto that includes ending smoking, retaining flavour names and putting chip-stealing seagulls “on trial as adults”, will campaign in Clacton and across Riot's social media channels during the by-election period.
The Clacton by-election takes place on 13 August after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage resigned his seat. Farage has announced that he will stand in the resulting contest. Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have all declined to field candidates, leaving satirist Count Binface as the only declared challenger alongside Farage.
Riot's campaign combines deliberately absurd pledges – including banning wasps from beer gardens, converting every smoking area into a dance floor and making Britain “smoke-free by Friday, Saturday latest” – with criticism of the government's proposed vaping regulations.
The Department of Health and Social Care's consultation on tobacco and vape packaging, appearance and display, which is open until 2 October, proposes standardised white vape packaging and devices limited to a single matt shade of white, black or grey.
It also proposes limiting flavour descriptors to one recognised flavour name and introducing tighter retail display requirements, potentially resulting in vapes being hidden behind the same shutters as cigarettes.
Riot has said it supports stronger controls on youth access to vaping and restrictions on where vapes are sold. However, it argues that making vape products look and appear more like cigarettes could increase confusion about their relative risks.
The company cited Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) research showing that 54 per cent of adults incorrectly believe vaping is as harmful as or more harmful than smoking.
Riot said this “misperception” could discourage smokers from switching to vaping or push consumers towards the illicit market, particularly as the new Vaping Products Duty is due to come into force in October.
Riot Labs chief executive Ben Johnson said the campaign was intended to use the unusual Clacton contest to draw attention to what the company sees as a serious policy issue.
“Riot Man's pledges might be viewed as a joke. The idea that wrapping vapes like cigarettes and hiding them behind the same shutters will help smokers quit is, unfortunately, a real one,” he said.
Riot Man said: “My opponents offer you a bin and a Barbour jacket. I offer you a Britain where the self-checkout apologises to YOU. Where the seagulls fear the law again. And where no flavour is forced to change its name. Clacton, be more Riot.”
The campaign launched last week in Clacton and across Riot's social channels.
Riot has also launched SaveVaping.co.uk, encouraging vapers, smokers and retailers to respond to the government's consultation and contact their MPs.