Labour Government to BAN vaping in indoor public places

Indoor vaping will be banned in public places and bright packaging and fruity flavours restricted as part of a major crackdown on the habit.

Retailers will be forced to obtain a licence to sell vapes and tobacco and could face fines of up to £2,500 for breaching stricter rules.

Under government plans, manufacturers will have to sell vapes in plain packaging and stop producing tasty flavours in a bid to make them less attractive to children.

The gadgets will be hidden from view in shops, as is already the case with cigarettes, and there will be a ban on vaping advertising and sponsorship.

Shops could face on the spot fines of £200 if caught flouting the law by trading standards, while repeat offenders could face stiffer financial penalties in court and have their licence revoked.

The new ‘world-leading reforms’ feature in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which the Government will introduce in Parliament today [TUE].

The Department of Health and Social Care said it will create a ‘smoke-free generation’ by phasing-out the sale of tobacco products across the UK.

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Anyone aged 15 or young this year will never be able to legally buy tobacco as the age restriction is lifted by one year each year.

The ‘tough’ laws will also give ministers the power to extend the current indoor smoking ban to some outdoor settings, including around schools, hospitals and playgrounds.

But in a major u-turn on leaked proposals, the extensions will not apply to areas outside bars, pubs and restaurants - much to the relief of the country’s struggling hospitality sector.

Disposable vapes are also due to be banned from 1 June 2025 under separate environmental legislation.

Health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘Unless we act to help people stay healthy, the rising tide of ill-health in our society threatens to overwhelm and bankrupt our NHS.

‘This government is taking bold action to create the first smoke free generation, clamp down on kids getting hooked on nicotine through vapes, and protect children and vulnerable people from the harms of secondhand smoke.

‘This historic legislation will save thousands of lives and protect the NHS.

‘By building a healthy society, we will also help to build a healthy economy, with fewer people off work sick.’

The proposals, which will be subject to public consultation, are aimed at protecting children from becoming hooked on nicotine while enabling adult smokers to use vapes as a quit aid.

Selling vapes to under 18s is illegal.

But youth vaping has more than doubled in the last four years, with the government blaming the ‘targeting of vapes to children via flavours, branding and advertising’.

In 2023, one in four 11 to 15-year olds had tried vaping.

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Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer for England, said: ‘The rising numbers of children vaping is a major concern and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will help prevent marketing vapes to children, which is utterly unacceptable.’

Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of the charity Action on Smoking and Health, said: ‘Vapes are a vital tool to help adults quit but regulations have needed an overhaul for some years since appealing disposable vapes hit the market driving up use among teenagers.

‘This new legislation takes important powers to regulate the product design, branding and contents in ways that can protect kids from taking up vaping and drive-up product quality for adults switching.’

The Conservatives had proposed their own Tobacco and Vapes Bill but it was not passed into law before the general election. It did not contain as many measures.

Smoking claims around 80,000 lives a year in the UK, putting huge pressure on the NHS, taking up appointments, scans and operations, and costing taxpayers £3.1billion a year.

The cost of smoking to the economy is even greater, with £18billion lost in productivity every year, as smokers are a third more likely to be off work sick, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

Tobacco is responsible for one in four of all cancer deaths and killing up to two-thirds of its long-term users.

Smoking also substantially increases the risk of many major health conditions throughout people’s lives, such as strokes, diabetes, heart disease, stillbirth, dementia and asthma.

Almost every minute someone is admitted to hospital because of smoking and up to 75,000 GP appointments can be attributed to smoking each month - over 100 every hour.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality, said: ‘The rumoured ban on smoking in outdoor areas understandably caused angst amongst hospitality businesses, who were concerned that it would impact trade and undermine their investments in creating outdoor spaces for customers.

‘While we’re yet to see the detail, this initial confirmation that hospitality won’t be included is positive.’