A British government plan to introduce a smoking ban which is aimed at stopping young people from ever smoking has got past its first potential obstacle in Parliament, despite vocal opposition from within the Conservative Party.

The vote in the House of Commons had a 383 to 67 majority in favour which would mean that it would become illegal for anyone who turns 15-years-of-age from 2024, to buy tobacco products in the UK.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made it clear that his vision is to create the country’s first “smoke-free generation”.

This is big step towards the Tobacco and Vapes Bill becoming a reality and after implementation – with 2027 a target date – it would mean that the legal age of sale that people in England could buy cigarettes would be raised by one year, every year until it is eventually illegal for the whole population.

It is a huge move and with still plenty of opposition groups fighting hard against it, there is still some way to go, but if everything progresses the way the PM wishes it to, then the bill will give Britain some of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the world.

The government have clarified that smoking will not be criminalized and the purpose of the phased changes is to ensure that anyone who can legally buy cigarettes right now will not be affected and also will have the assurance that they will not be prevented from doing so in the future either.

No following party line

The Conservative lawmakers were given license for a free vote, which effectively meant that they could place their vote dictated by their own personal conscience, as opposed to being instructed to follow the official party line.

The bill will also include measures to crack down on youth vaping by banning the sale of cheap disposable vapes and restricting their flavours, with the intention of prevent children from becoming addicted to nicotine.

On-the-spot fines

If the new rules get through they will be applicable in all duty free shops in the UK; however, anybody buying cigarettes abroad would be able to bring them back into the UK, just as long as they were legally purchased elsewhere.

To add weight to the ruling, the government are suggesting a £100 on-the-spot fines will be introduced for shops in England and Wales who are caught selling tobacco and vapes to under-age people.

This would be on top of £2,500 fines that courts can already impose. They also advise that it would be their intention to allow local authorities to retain the proceeds of any fines, to reinvest into enforcing the law in their areas.

This would be as a back-up to the £30m that the government say they will spend on enforcement, which will include tackling the inevitable availability of cigarettes on the black market.

Inspired by New Zealand

The UK’s new approach is believed to have been inspired by a similar policy proposed by New Zealand under former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The previous government there planned to ban anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco products; however in November 2023 the new ruling party announced they were scrapping the law to aid the funding of tax cuts.

PM’s crusade

The number of smokers in the UK has declined by around two-thirds since the 1970’s, but official figures indicate that over 6.4 million people (about 13% of the population) do still smoke, with authorities pointing to the habit being responsible for some 80,000 deaths a year.

Mr Sunak’s crusade includes working with the governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland  to encourage the introduction of the legislation throughout the country. He believes creating a “smoke-free generation” could well prevent more than 470,000 cases of heart disease, lung cancer and other diseases, by the end of the century.

Black market threat

Opposition to the suggestion, such as the smokers’ rights lobbying group FOREST, said the move risks creating a black market and added that they see it as a likelihood of “treating future generations of adults like kids.”

Prominent voices within the Conservative Party, including two of Sunak’s predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, said the plans went against conservative values by limiting people’s personal freedoms, with Mr Johnson calling the ban “absolutely nuts”.

There are still a few more steps needed before it can become law, but it is possible that the bill could come into force before the next general election, which is expected in the second half of the year.