​In an open letter published in The BMJ, leading charities have urged the government to make the reintroduction of the ‘Tobacco and Vapes Bill’ a central theme in the king’s speech in July 2024.

The king’s speech will state the government’s priorities for its next parliamentary session.

An open letter to the prime minister and secretary of state for health has been signed by over 1,400 leading charities to urge the government to commit to tackling smoking in the speech. Signatories include Cancer Research UK, medical royal colleges, doctors, academics, healthcare workers and public health professionals.

The letter also calls on the government to publish its ‘Roadmap to a Smoke-free Britain’ within the first year in office.

It follows the release of an analysis from Cancer Research UK demonstrating the number of cancer cases caused by smoking has reached an all-time high. The report estimates smoking causes 160 cases of cancer every day in the UK.

Nick Hopkinson, chair of Action on Smoking and Health, said, “Together as concerned doctors and clinicians, charities and public health experts we have united to urge the new government to prioritise bringing back the ‘Tobacco and Vapes Bill’ without delay. Britain was the birthplace of the tobacco industry, an industry which killed over 100m people in the twentieth century and is on track to kill one billion in the twenty-first, mainly in low and middle-income countries. The UK now has the chance to lead the world in phasing out smoking forever. Our new government must seize it with both hands.”

The letter points out that Labour cannot achieve its manifesto commitment to halve differences in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions unless it prioritises ending smoking. This will also deliver on Labour’s commitment to productivity growth in every part of the country, as the greatest financial impact of smoking is not on the health and social care system but on the cost of lost productivity.

The estimated cost to the UK economy in 2023 was £55bn. Made up of:

  • £2.2bn to the NHS
  • £18bn in social care costs
  • £34bn in lost productivity

Mike Richards, former national cancer director at the Department of Health and chair of the UK National Screening Committee, said, “Despite smoking rates halving over the last two decades, tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable premature death, causing 160 new cases of cancer every day. The Labour government’s commitment to embed a focus on prevention in the healthcare system is welcome, and will ensure that the millions of already-addicted smokers continue to get the help they need to quit. However, the best form of prevention is to stop people becoming addicted in the first place, and that’s why Labour needs to urgently bring back the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to phase out smoking for generations to come.”

In addition to the letter in The BMJ, every MP is being sent a parliamentary brief calling for their support for the immediate reintroduction of the ‘Tobacco and Vapes Bill’.

MPs are also being provided with data on the level of support for phasing out smoking in their constituency.

Phasing out the sale of tobacco is supported by more than two-thirds of adults (69 per cent) and 11-15-year-olds (67 per cent) who will be the first generation to whom the sale of tobacco will forever be banned.

Most of the population in every constituency in Great Britain supports the legislation. The highest level of support (74 per cent) in the prime minister’s constituency of Holborn and St Pancras.

Chris van Tulleken, presenter and infectious diseases doctor at University College London Hospital (UCLH) said, "As a physician and advocate for public health, I firmly believe that phasing out the sale of tobacco to the next generation is a critical step towards a healthier future. The tobacco industry has caused eight million premature deaths in this country over the last 50 years. Protecting the next generation from these harms will pave the way for a society where the health and wellbeing of our children come first."

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said, “If the government is truly committed to reducing health inequalities and improving life expectancy, phasing out smoking has to be a key priority. Smoking is the single largest cause of preventable death in England and is responsible for half the difference in life expectancy between the lowest and highest income groups. The health and social consequences and economic costs smoking imposes on society are also far greater than the tax revenue paid.

“People who smoke are more likely to suffer from long-term conditions and die prematurely as well as needing social care on average ten years earlier and earning less than non-smokers. Moving to a smokefree generation would be a significant step towards improving healthy life expectancy, reducing disease and disability as well as reducing pressures on the entire health and care system.”

Linda Bauld, director of the SPECTRUM public health research consortium said, “The UK is ideally placed to be the first country to phase out smoking forever, with the strong support of all the devolved nations. The ‘Tobacco and Vapes Bill’ will also ensure our governments have the powers they need to curb youth vaping while ensuring nicotine vapes remain accessible to adults so people who smoke have access to the most effective quitting aid.

“We have a world-class academic community carrying out cutting-edge research on tobacco and vaping. Our research teams can monitor the impact of the legislation once implemented and ensure that any changes needed to improve the impact of the legislation can be identified and put in place in a timely manner.”

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