More than a million illicit e-cigarettes were seized by Trading Standards last year, as MPs prepare to vote on a massive crackdown on the industry today.
A whole generation of children will suffer “a life imprisoned by addiction” unless MPs agree landmark restrictions on smoking, Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned last night.
1
The Tobacco and E-Cigarettes Bill would prevent anyone born after January 2009 from legally purchasing cigarettes.
Measures designed to prevent children from vaping will include a ban on bright packaging and flavors such as gum, jelly beans and cotton candy designed to attract youngsters.
The legislation would also ban the sale of e-cigarettes in vending machines or give them away for free, in addition to imposing a comprehensive ban on advertised e-cigarettes.
Figures released today by the Trading Standards Institute showed officers seized 1.19 million dodgy e-cigarettes from sellers in 2023/24.
Illegal and harmful e-cigarettes put consumers and children at risk
Andrew Gwyn
Most of them contain illegally high concentrations of nicotine.
Excessive amounts of the stimulant — which children may reach faster — can cause heart palpitations, dizziness, vomiting, and breathing difficulties.
Increasingly, research and terrifying patient stories indicate that vaping harms the lungs, heart, and blood vessels.
Operation Joseph, in collaboration with the government and medical regulator, also caught shopkeepers wanting to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s in one in four tests of the mystery shopper.
Under the potential new restrictions, suppliers selling e-cigarettes to children will be hit with spot fines of £200.
The bill would also ban smoking outside parks, hospitals and schools, but pub gardens would be exempt after a backlash from hospitality.
Wes Streeting said: “The number of children using e-cigarettes is increasing at an alarming rate, and without urgent intervention, we will have a generation of children suffering from long-term addiction.
“The Tobacco and Vaping Bill provides the protection children and young people need to avoid a life imprisoned by addiction.
“That's why it's so important that it gets a vote.”
Lord Michael Pichard, head of National Trading Standards, said: “The reality is that more action is needed to remove more illegal and, in many cases, dangerous products from sale.”
It is a free vote, although it is expected to pass the House of Commons comfortably on its first reading.
Public Health Minister Andrew Gwynn said: “This shows how many illegal and harmful e-cigarettes are on our streets, putting consumers and children at risk.”
Conservative opposition to the bill
The bill was originally proposed by Rishi Sunak, and was supported by Labour, charities and doctors, with opposition from hardline Tories.
Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch is set to vote against the bill, as she did when she first brought the issue to Parliament.
Her spokesman said: “Kimi acted on her convictions by voting against the bill once before. Now Labor has made a bad bill worse and she will vote against it again.”
A recent Yonder poll for smoking campaign group Forest showed that 60 per cent of respondents said 18-year-olds should be allowed to buy cigarettes if they can vote and buy alcohol.
Director Simon Clarke said: “Banning the sale of tobacco over generations is unnecessarily divisive because it will create a two-tiered society in which some adults have different rights than others.”
What are the new vape laws?
Ministers have pledged to crack down on poorly regulated vaping and e-cigarettes after a spike in the number of teenagers using them.
The new rules for manufacturers and shop owners are expected to come into effect in late 2024 or early 2025.
It is set to include:
- The high tax rates paid on e-cigarettes increase the price and make it difficult for children to afford them
- A ban on single-use e-cigarettes in favor of rechargeable devices
- A ban on colorful and cardboard packaging that may attract young people
- Stricter controls on flavors and banning unnecessarily sweet or child-friendly items such as chewing gum and candy
- More regulation on how and where they are displayed in stores, which could put them out of sight
- Tightening penalties for shops caught selling to people under the age of 18
The ban on disposable e-cigarettes is part of the government's ambitious plans to tackle the rise in vaping among young people.
A report published by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) last June found that 20.5 per cent of children in the UK had tried vaping in 2023, up from 15.8 per cent in 2022 and 13.9 per cent in 2020.
Treasurer Jeremy Hunt also announced plans to impose a tax on imported e-cigarettes and manufacturers, making e-cigarettes more expensive.
The duties will apply to the liquid found in e-cigarettes, with higher levels for products containing more nicotine.
