27 October 2025 , 08:06
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More than 1,200 public health leaders have urged for the quick passage of the tobacco and vapes bill through parliament to “protect future generations.”
In a cross-party letter, they stated that the “game-changing” measures outlined were “far too important to let slip off the agenda.”
The House of Lords is preparing to examine the bill on the first day of its committee stage. The letter highlights that there has been a six-month gap between the bill’s second reading and Monday’s debate.
The bill would make it illegal for anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, to ever purchase tobacco. It also grants powers to restrict the packaging, marketing, and flavors of e-cigarettes.
Signed by more than 1,200 health professionals including doctors, nurses, and public health directors, the letter emphasizes the urgent need for the bill.
The chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, Hazel Cheeseman, stated: “Every week, thousands of young people become trapped in a cycle of deadly addiction that will shorten their lives. Tobacco is a uniquely harmful product, killing more than half of long-term users. Politicians can protect future generations by passing this truly game-changing legislation.”
The latest figures show that 11.9% of UK adults smoke, which equates to about 6 million people.
Peter Roderick, the spokesman for addiction for the Association of Directors of Public Health, said the bill was an “opportunity to save even more lives, protect future generations from becoming addicted to this deadly product, and offer the 88% of non-smokers the freedom to live a healthier life.”
Tobacco groups have threatened the government with legal action over the proposed generational ban and have sought support from right-wing MPs in an apparent attempt to dilute the proposals.
The Guardian and the Examination, a non-profit newsroom that investigates global health threats, reported in June that the Tory peer Ed Vaizey had proposed delaying another key part of the bill, a ban on heated tobacco, weeks after a leading cigarette company paid for him to visit its research facility in Switzerland.
A survey by the smokers’ rights group Forest of more than 2,000 adults found that 58% would support an alternative to a generational ban, a quarter would keep the legal age for tobacco sales at 18, and a third said the age should be raised to 21.
Head of Investigations