Children who do not reach the age of 18 before January 1, 2027 will never be allowed to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in the UK once the new law, which has now been fully passed by Parliament, receives royal assent from King Charles III.
Tobacco and Vapes Bill It cleared its final parliamentary hurdle on Monday, when the House of Lords signed off on the last small amendment to a bill in the pipeline from 2024, at the start of the current Labor government’s term.
Only one other country, the Maldives, currently has a similar “generational smoking ban” in place.
The first country to do so, New Zealand, swiftly overturned the law after a change of government in 2023.
What are the new rules for smoking and vaping and where will they apply?
Rule It will apply to all four constituent countries of the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was developed in conjunction with the devolved parliaments in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
A selection of key changes and provisions are as follows:
- Technically, the new law will raise the legal age requirement to purchase cigarettes, cigars or tobacco in the UK, which is currently 18, by one year in each subsequent year starting January 1, 2027.
- This will effectively mean that people born on or after January 1, 2009 will never be eligible to buy these
- Retailers will face financial penalties for selling products to people who are not entitled to it
- The government will also have the power to implement a new registration system for smoking and vaping products entering the country to improve oversight.
- The bill would extend the UK’s indoor smoking ban to a range of outdoor public places, for example children’s playgrounds, outside schools and hospitals
- Most indoor spaces that are designated smoke-free will also become vape-free
- Smoking will be allowed in designated areas outside pubs and bars and other hospitality venues
- Advertising of smoking and vaping products will be banned
- People 18 and older will remain eligible to purchase vaping products, but some items targeted at younger consumers, such as disposable vapes, have already been outlawed as part of the program.
What did the members of the House of Lords say when the Bill completed its journey through Parliament?
Monday’s session in the House of Lords gave the final green light to a series of small technical changes designed to address errors and flaws identified within the bill, to finalize a bill that has already cleared all three readings in both the upper and lower houses of Parliament.
As a result, even the opposition MPs who opposed the idea did not oppose the passage of the six amendments.
Baroness Gillian Meron, of the ruling Labor Party and of the Department of Health and Social Care, spoke in favor of the change in the law marking “the end of the bill’s journey through our Parliament”.
“This is a historic Bill, my Lords, it will create a smoke-free generation. It is, in fact, the biggest public health intervention in a generation and I can assure all noble Lords that it will save lives. I applaud it in the House,” Meron said.
Michael Morris, Baron Naseby, a Conservative member of the Lords, reiterated some of his objections to the plans, including a planned standard fine of 200 pounds (about €230 or $270) for retailers who breach age restrictions or sell to proxy buyers.
Baron Naseby said, “It upsets a lot of people in that industry, that the government has not listened to retailers and particularly the strong representation of those who have knowledge of this particular industry.”
He said he believed there would come a time when those “who believe that this idea is completely outdated in relation to what’s going on in the world” would be vindicated, adding: “We really need to have a proper understanding of how we educate people not to smoke.”
Royal assent, the signature of King Charles III and the final step in the process of making it law, is a formality in almost any circumstances in Britain; The bill has already been included in one of the so-called “King’s Speeches” at the opening of Parliament, in which some of the government’s legislative priorities are stated.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar