MPs vote in favour of Tobacco and Vapes Bill

We are delighted that MPs have voted in favour of the Second Reading of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, by a majority of 316.

The Bill proposes to raise the age of sale of tobacco products each year so that future generations are protected from the harms caused by smoking. The law will mean that no one born on or after 1 January 2009 will ever be legally sold tobacco products.

Opening the debate, the Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said:
“The vast majority of smokers start when they are young, and three-quarters say that if they could turn back the clock, they would not have started.

"That is why, through this Bill, we are creating a smokefree generation that will guarantee that no one who is turning 15 or younger this year will ever be legally sold tobacco, saving them from the misery of repeated attempts to give up, making our economy more productive, and building an NHS that delivers faster, simpler, and fairer care.”

In the debate, Shadow Public Health Minister Preet Gill, the Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston highlighted the experience of BHF supporter and anti-smoking campaigner Eric Deeson who is also her constituent. Speaking in the debate Gill said:

"Smoking, as we’ve heard today, is not a free choice it is an addiction. Hence raising the age of sale will help reduce pressure on the NHS by improving health and wellbeing. My constituent Eric knows this too well. He is one of thousands of constituents whose life has been put at risk by smoking. Like the vast majority of smokers, Eric began smoking when he was a child, at age 14. It wasn’t until his 50s that Eric was able to give up cold turkey at the request of his daughter, who urged him to do so on behalf of his newborn grandson. Eric has suffered a heart attack and stroke, and lives with hypertension, high cholesterol and COPD. As he says, ‘COPD is an incurable mortal disease and makes getting around harder and harder for me.’”

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will now go to Committee Stage, where the legislation will be scrutinised in detail by the Bill Committee.

Decisive action

Commenting on the Second Reading of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, our chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said:

“We are absolutely delighted that MPs have backed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at its Second Reading today. Smoking has an immense and unacceptable toll on our nation’s health, with at least 15,000 lives being lost due to cardiovascular disease each year in the UK.
 
“This vital legislation is a game changer and will ensure that future generations are protected from the devastating consequences of smoking. Decisive action is now needed to put an end to this public health tragedy - we urge politicians of all parties to get behind this historic legislation as it progresses through Parliament, so that it swiftly passes into law.”

Find out more about smoking and heart health