Yesterday marked a significant milestone for our Smokefree UK campaign, as Members of the Senedd (MSs) voted in favour of applying the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to Wales through a legislative consent motion. 

The vote is one of the last pieces of the puzzle for creating the first ever smokefree generation in Wales and across the UK. When it finishes its final stage in Westminster, the Bill will ensure that no one born on or after 1 January 2009 will ever legally be sold tobacco in the UK in their lifetime. 

Smokefree UK at the Senedd 

Together with campaigners and partners, we’ve championed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in all four nations across the UK. We’ve already seen Scotland and Northern Ireland pass their own legislative consent motions, and the Bill has been approved by the House of Commons in Westminster. 

Yesterday, we joined members of the Wales Tobacco Control Alliance, Action on Smoking and Health Cymru, and Cancer Research UK’s volunteer Campaign Ambassadors, among others, outside the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament) to show our support for the Bill in Wales.  

That broad support was replicated in the Senedd itself, as MSs from across the political spectrum voted to pass the legislation. 

Our Public Affairs manager in Wales, Simon Scheeres, who was at the Senedd on the day, called the vote “an incredibly positive step towards ending cancers caused by smoking in Wales”. 

“The biggest preventable cause of cancer has no place in our future, and yesterday’s vote brings us closer to realising a healthier Wales for generations to come,” Scheeres said. 

Why Wales and why now? 

The anticipated impact of this measure cannot be overstated. If this new legislation has the impact the UK’s governments are hoping for, thousands of cancer cases in the UK could be avoided over the coming decades.  

This is significant for Wales, where smoking is the leading cause of cancer, causing around 3,100 cases every year. Around two-thirds of lung cancer cases in Wales are caused by smoking, and lung cancer is the nation’s leading cause of death.  

Smoking is also one of the primary causes of health inequalities in Wales. Smoking prevalence rates are almost three times higher in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived. Higher rates of smoking translate to higher rates of smoking related harm. In Wales’ most deprived areas, lung cancer accounts for almost half of all cancer deaths. 

To reduce the toll smoking takes on all communities in Wales, we’re also calling on the Senedd to take actions that build on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, such as making sure stop smoking services are available and accessible to all who need them. 

Next steps for the Bill 

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill passed through the House of Commons in Westminster in March of this year, and has now completed Committee Stage in the House of Lords. Throughout these stages, we’ve called on all MPs and Peers to champion the Bill and support measures to help create a smokefree generation across the UK.  

Next, the Bill will move to Report Stage and Third Reading in the House of Lords. To become law, it will then need to receive Royal Assent. We look forward to celebrating this moment with campaigners and partners when it comes.   

Smoking causes around 160 cases of cancer every day in the UK and is responsible for killing one person every seven minutes. That’s why we want to see this legislation passed and implemented across the UK as quickly as possible.  

If realised across the UK, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be a landmark moment for public health, and something which we can all be proud of. Today’s vote is a historic step forward, but the journey towards a smokefree Wales and a smokefree UK does not end here. Continued political support, robust implementation, and additional measures to help bolster this work will be essential to ensure the Bill delivers its full potential.  

Together, we can make cancers caused by smoking a thing of the past.