10th Mar 2026 10:52
(Alliance News) - Efforts to create an entirely smoke-free generation in the UK have received support from both Houses of Parliament.
Peers on Monday backed the Tobacco & Vapes bill at third reading, to stop people currently aged 17 or younger ever buying cigarettes.
As part of the proposed new law, shopkeepers will not be allowed to sell tobacco or herbal smoking products, or cigarette papers, to people born on or after January 1 2009.
The bill must undergo a tidying up process in Parliament and both the Commons and Lords must agree on the final wording before it becomes law.
As part of the draft new law, adults who try to buy vaping or nicotine products on behalf of children will face a fine.
Ministers are also set to gain new powers to control the flavours and substances in smoking products, including vapes, along with the appearance, size, texture and shape of packaging.
"Smoking's the number-one preventable cause of death, disability and ill health, and tobacco claims around 80,000 lives every year," health minister Gillian Merron told the Lords.
She said: "And whilst tobacco remains the greatest threat, this legislation is about protecting future generations not only from the harms of tobacco but from nicotine addiction."
Conservative shadow health minister Syed Kamall warned that ministers were set to gain "a considerable degree of delegated power" to decide rules governing flavouring, advertising restrictions and the creation of vape-free places.
"We want regulations to be grounded in evidence," he said.
"Regulations must not impose unnecessary burdens on retailers, especially corner shops and other small retailers, and does not impose burdens on the hospitality sector.
"And regulations must recognise concerns of former smokers who rely on particular vape products and descriptors as part of their pathway from smoking and not ban products that might make smoking cessation more difficult.
"We particularly welcome the commitment to a review of this act after a reasonable period of years – that review will matter."
Kamall said "a permanent and ever-widened prohibition on tobacco sales to an increasing share of the adult population may drive some" to buy from the black market.
Jamie Strachan, operations director at VPZ, a vaping retailer with more than 190 shops throughout the country, said: "Passage of the Tobacco & Vapes bill marks an important moment for public health policy in the UK.
"Responsible regulation is essential to protect young people and we have long supported measures that maintain high retail standards while ensuring adult smokers can still access safer alternatives to combustible tobacco, however, the continued presence of high-capacity disposable devices designed to circumvent existing limits risks undermining both consumer protections and responsible retailers.
"As the government now develops the detailed regulations that will implement the legislation, strong enforcement and clear product standards will be critical.
"The success of the new framework will depend on strong enforcement against non-compliant products and clear regulatory standards that support responsible retailers."
Shares in British American Tobacco PLC rose 1.8% to 4,385.00 pence each on Tuesday morning in London.
By Will Meakin-Durrant, Press Association Political Staff
Press Association: News
source: PA
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