Labour has promised to introduce tougher anti-smoking laws in a new Tobacco and Vapes Bill before Christmas, claiming it will be "more ambitious" than previous legislation proposed by the Conservatives.
Health secretary Wes Streeting made the pledge at the launch of a new NHS consultation on Monday.
The previous Tory government had tabled a bill in the last parliament aimed at preventing anyone born after January 1, 2009, from ever legally purchasing tobacco. This would have been achieved by gradually raising the legal smoking age. The bill also covered restriction on display and sale of vapes.
Labour’s upcoming bill is expected to build on this approach and introduce stricter measures.
Speaking to reporters at a health facility in East London, Streeting said: “We will introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill before Christmas. Effectively, the debate has already begun, because people are already talking about what sort of measures would be effective, both on tobacco and on vaping.
“And we’re already kind of in that debate and listening to what people have to say.”
Labour has already faced some backlash from the hospitality industry after announcing plans to ban smoking outside pubs. Addressing these concerns, Streeting acknowledged the balancing act between public health benefits and potential impacts on personal freedoms and businesses.
“There’s always those choices and trade-offs,” Streeting said. “And you always have to weigh these things up, and we’ll do that.”
He added that Labour’s bill would aim to create the first smoke-free generation in the UK, calling it a transformational step to tackle one of the country's biggest killers.
“When the smoking bill is introduced, it will be more ambitious than the bill introduced by the previous government. Crucially, it will mean that children growing up in our country today will be the first ever smoke-free generation,” he said.
“This was a debate that we led in opposition, and now we’ll deliver in government.”
The Hershey Company chocolate factory in downtown Hershey, Pennsylvania, USPhoto: iStock