MPs vote in favour of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at its Second Reading

How did we get here – Evidence, impact and the actions of our supporters

This is important to us because smoking is the biggest cause of cancer and death in the UK and there are still around 6 million people smoking in the UK.

But smoking rates don’t come down on their own, they come down with government action. That’s why Cancer Research UK – alongside our partners and supporters – has been campaigning for over a decade for action to end cancers caused by smoking.  

Yesterday, we published new projections, as mentioned in the debate, showing that – based on current trends – smoking could cause almost 300,000 cancer cases in the UK over the next five years. Around 2,800 of these cases are expected to be caused by second-hand smoke exposure in people who have never smoked. 

We can ensure that this trend doesn’t continue in the future. That’s why we urged MPs to prioritise the nation’s health by voting in favour of this world-leading legislation. 

Many of our campaigns ambassadors and supporters have also been emailing their MPs to encourage them to vote in favour of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.    

What’s in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill?

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was officially introduced to Parliament (known as the First Reading) earlier this month. It followed a similar Bill which had started the legislative journey through Parliament under the last Government but came to a disappointing halt when the general election was called.  

If it becomes law, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will make sure that people born on or after 1 January 2009 can never legally be sold tobacco in their lifetime, helping to create the first ever smokefree generation.   

Smoking itself won’t be criminalised, and anyone who can legally buy tobacco now won’t be prevented from doing so in future.   

We’ve calculated that up to 9.7 million fewer cigarettes will be smoked per day by 2040 if the age of sale legislation is successfully implemented across the UK. 

While the key element of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is undeniably raising the age of sale, there are many other measures that are included. 

These include powers to extend smokefree places, the introduction of a licensing scheme for selling tobacco, vapes and nicotine products and the extension of plain packaging laws to all tobacco products, not just cigarettes. 

The Bill also introduces several measures aimed at curbing youth vaping, such as prohibiting advertising of vapes on all channels and banning vape vending machines. Government will also have new powers to regulate vape product design and make changes to how vapes are packaged and displayed. 

What happened during the vote?   

Today marked the next step in the legislative journey, with the Second Reading of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill taking place in Parliament. As part of this, MPs were able to vote on the Bill for the first time.  

MPs voted 415 to 47 in favour of the Bill – a majority of 368. 

Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, spoke of the importance of the legislation and highlighted that there is no liberty in addiction, as tobacco is a uniquely addictive and harmful substance.  

The Shadow Secretary of State Ed Argar focused his comments on concerns regarding the delegated powers being granted to the Secretary of State and wanted greater scrutiny and assurances around these. The Shadow Secretary of State also outlined that he supported the mission behind the Bill. 

Helen Morgan, Health Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, highlighted concerns about practicalities of the Bill and its enforcement. However, she stated that she was converted into voting in favour of the Bill by Linda Chambers, a campaigner from Humber and North Yorkshire Centre for Tobacco Excellence, who she met at an event held by Action on Smoking and Health. This is a poignant reminder of how important personal stories are in helping build understanding and support from MPs.