Key Takeaways
- The UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill has cleared parliament and bans legal tobacco sales to people born on or after January 1, 2009.
- The bill is expected to receive royal assent next week and become law.
- It was introduced on November 5, 2024 and completed its parliamentary passage on April 21, 2026 after the House of Lords approved Commons amendments.
- The bill also gives ministers power to extend smoke-free restrictions to children’s playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals.
2Firsts, April 22, 2026
According to The Guardian, a bill banning people born after 2008 from buying tobacco has completed its passage through the UK parliament, in a move ministers hope will create a “smoke-free generation.”
The bill would permanently bar legal tobacco sales to those born after 2008
Under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 will never be able to be legally sold tobacco anywhere in the UK. The government said the measure is intended to save lives and reduce pressure on the National Health Service.
The bill will become law after royal assent next week
The report said the bill will become legislation when it receives royal assent next week. Its parliamentary journey began when it was introduced on November 5, 2024 and ended on Tuesday, when the House of Lords approved amendments made by MPs in the House of Commons.
Ministers say the measure is intended to phase out tobacco sales over time
Ministers hope the bill will eventually end the sale of tobacco products altogether over time and break the cycle of addiction and disadvantage associated with tobacco.
According to the report, smoking causes 400,000 hospital admissions and 64,000 deaths a year in England alone, and costs the NHS £3 billion annually in treatment for tobacco-related illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. The report added that smoking is estimated to create total social costs of between £21.3 billion and £27.6 billion a year in England, mainly through lost productivity.
The bill also expands powers over smoke-free public places
Health secretary Wes Streeting said this was a “historic moment” for the nation’s health and that children in the UK would be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm. He said the reform would save lives, ease pressure on the NHS and build a healthier Britain.
The report said the legislation will also give ministers the power to strengthen the existing ban on smoking in public places, extending it to children’s playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals.
Public health groups backed the measure
Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said this was a decisive turning point for public health and that the end of smoking and the harm it causes was no longer uncertain but inevitable. She also said ending tobacco harm would be a lasting gift to future generations and families.
Sarah Sleet, chief executive of Asthma and Lung UK, said the legislation would transform the nation’s health and mean the tobacco industry would no longer be able to damage the lungs of the next generation.
The bill also restricts vape marketing aimed at children
The report said the move will also ban vape and nicotine products from being branded, promoted and advertised to children so that they do not become addicted to nicotine.
However, some vaping firms said the legislation could encourage some former smokers who now vape to return to tobacco. Richard Begg of VPZ The Vaping Specialist said overly restrictive measures, particularly on flavours and product availability, could unintentionally drive former smokers back to tobacco or into unregulated markets.
Mark Oates, founder of We Vape, said it was vital that the government protect vape flavours, which remain the single most effective incentive for adult smokers to switch to a less harmful alternative.
Image Source: The Guardia
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