1 of 2 The British government’s strange plan so that no one can buy cigarettes anymore Photo: GETTY IMAGES The British government’s strange plan so that no one can buy cigarettes anymore Photo: GETTY IMAGES
The age at which people in England can buy cigarettes and tobacco must be increased by one year every year so that eventually no one will be able to buy cigarettes and tobacco, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
The proposal must be voted on in the British Parliament and, according to Sunak, all MPs can vote as they wish.
According to the plan, the purchasing age would be increased by one year every year from the minimum age of 18 for example, a teenager who is currently 14 years old would never be able to buy cigarettes again in his life.
The idea was put forward following a study commissioned by the government in 2022.
During a speech at the Conservative Party conference, Sunak said he believes this is the right way to tackle the biggest preventable cause of disease.
Smoking increases the risk of strokes, heart disease, dementia and mothers having stillborn babies, and is also the cause of one in four cancer deaths.
“There is no safe level of smoking,” he said.
Smoking rates have fallen since the 1970s. However, there are still more than 5 million smokers in England and 6 million across the UK.
According to the British Office for National Statistics, one in nine young people between the ages of 18 and 24 currently smokes.
“If we want to do right by our children, we must first try to stop young people from starting to smoke in the first place,” Sunak said at the conference.
“Because without significant changes, thousands of children will start smoking in the coming years and their lives will be shortened.”
“Four out of five smokers started smoking by the age of 20. Later, the vast majority try to quit, but many fail because they are addicted.”
2 of 2 Photo: BBC Photo: BBC
Quit smoking by 2030
The idea of gradually raising the age for legally buying cigarettes was put forward last year by Javed Khan, the former chief executive of children and youth charity Barnard.
The body was commissioned by government ministers to find new approaches to combat smoking.
At the time, Boris Johnson’s government said it was unlikely such a measure would be approved.
But Sunak decided to support the initiative to help meet the government’s goal of making England smokefree by 2030 a target that can only be achieved if less than 5% of the population are smokers.
Regarding the vote in Parliament, the Prime Minister said that Conservative MPs would not be given instructions on how to vote.
“It’s a question of conscience and I want all of you and the country to know where mine lies,” the Prime Minister said.
The proposal to raise the selling age for cigarettes is similar to laws introduced in New Zealand, where the purchase of tobacco products is banned for people born after 2008.
Sunak also said the government would consider restricting the sale of ecigarettes and look at the flavors and packaging of devices to address rising rates of use by children.
One option could be a complete ban on sales.
Michelle Mitchell of Cancer Research UK, one of the largest independent cancer research organisations, said the announcement of the proposal was a “decisive step”.
“If it is implemented, the Prime Minister deserves huge credit for putting the health of British citizens above the interests of the tobacco lobby.”
Deborah Arnott, from campaign group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said the announcement was an “unprecedented” set of measures that could bring about the day when smoking becomes obsolete.