• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Smoking Laws Set To Change In Radical Plan To Make UK Smoke-Free By 2030

Home> News

Published 13:17 30 May 2022 GMT+1

Smoking Laws Set To Change In Radical Plan To Make UK Smoke-Free By 2030

Ministers’ ambition to make the UK smoke free by 2030 will be outlined in a ‘radical’ report set to be published later this year

Aisha Nozari

Aisha Nozari

Ministers’ ambition to make the UK smoke free by 2030 will be outlined in a ‘radical’ report set to be published later this year by Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

Despite the government having made good progress in reducing smoking rates to their lowest ever level, there are still around six million smokers in England and tobacco remains the single biggest cause of preventable death.

The report, titled The Tobacco Control Plan, will argue that the legal age to buy cigarettes should be increased from 18 to 21, noting that 64,000 smokers died from smoking in 2019 alone. 

Advert

Ministers’ ambition to make the UK smoke free by 2030 will be outlined in a ‘radical’ report.
Alamy

Commissioned by Javid, the report will also back new taxes on the profits of tobacco companies, according to the Express. 

Javed Khan, former CEO of children’s charity Barnardo’s, drew up the report and is supportive of the ‘polluters pay’ ideal that would see tobacco companies cover the costs of anti-smoking policies.

A source told the paper: “The stance [Khan] has taken in meetings I’ve had with him has been quite radical."

Khan is reportedly also keen to raise the legal smoking age to 25, but it’s unlikely this will be pushed past 21. 

Advert

The government is also keen to make vaping and e-cigarettes more accessible.

As much as £700 million could be raised annually by increasing taxes on tobacco companies and this would mean e-cigarettes can be provided to smokers on the NHS. 

The insider continued: "Sajid Javid is interested in health inequality and he is interested in tackling public health issues, but the Government is in hock to right-wing MPs. On tobacco, they are still nervous about some kind of nanny state attack.”

There are still around six million smokers in England.
Alamy

Khan said: "I am very pleased to be leading this review into such an important area of public health. My independent findings will help highlight key interventions which can help the government achieve its ambitions to be smoke-free by 2030 and tackle health disparities."

Advert

LADbible has approached Javid for comment. 

Smoking among people aged 18-30 jumped by 25 percent during the first lockdown according to the Office for National Statistics.

Speaking earlier this month, Khan confirmed he was considering recommending a smoking legal age increase.

He told The Times: “We are thinking seriously about the age of sale."

Making comparisons with the pandemic, he added: "Just look at the Covid experience, mass marketing has a big effect, it really works. 

Advert

"The government went hell for leather, it made an enormous difference in vaccination rates."

Featured Image Credit: Pixabay

Topics: Health, Politics

Aisha Nozari
Aisha Nozari

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 hours ago
7 hours ago
  • 6 hours ago

    World's 'first flying car' is going on sale much sooner than you think

    Flying cars are still something for the future, but apparently the rapidly approaching future

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    Experts issued warning over certain tattoo colour that could increase risk of deadly disease

    There can be some long-term health risks to going under the tattoo needle

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    Man who didn't sleep for a record 264 hours suffered from horrendous and potentially deadly side effects

    He smashed the record but suffered dangerous side effects in the process

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    The targets Iran could strike as it issues chilling threat to UK amid ongoing conflict

    The world isn't feeling particularly safe right now

    News
  • New UK smoking laws mean you could be banned from buying cigarettes if born after a certain year
  • When Keir Starmer will introduce smoking ban for people born after 2009 as he pledges to change UK law
  • England set for 'radical' change to starting XI for Euro 2024 quarter-final
  • Where smoking will be banned in UK as government officially announces new legislation