The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) warmly welcomes the Tobacco and Vapes Act receiving Royal Assent today, representing a landmark moment for public health across all four nations of the United Kingdom.
The smokefree generation policy at the heart of this legislation will protect the health of future generations by raising the legal age of tobacco sale by one year, every year, from January 2027, so that anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never legally be sold tobacco products.
Smoking remains the single greatest cause of health inequalities across the UK, driving illness, death, and poverty, particularly in the most vulnerable communities where smoking rates remain highest. Over 80,000 people in the UK die each year due to smoking, with many more living with serious smoking-related illness.
Government modelling shows that the Act's flagship measure could prevent up to 472,950 cases of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and other serious conditions by 2100, saving tens of thousands of lives and reducing pressure on health and care services across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Royal Assent marks the beginning of a critical implementation phase. The Act creates significant new powers, and the consultations and secondary legislation that follow will be essential to realising its full potential across all four nations.
Ending smoking for good will also require sustained action beyond legislation, supporting the millions of people who currently smoke to quit, addressing the wider determinants that drive smoking in our most disadvantaged communities, and pursuing the policies needed to make a truly smokefree UK a reality.
President of the Faculty of Public Health, Professor Tracy Daszkiewicz, said:
"Today is a historic day for public health across the UK. The Tobacco and Vapes Act is the most significant tobacco control legislation in a generation, a world-leading commitment to protecting communities right across the UK from the immense harm caused by smoking.
But legislation alone will not end smoking. We must now redouble our efforts to support people who smoke to quit, tackle the deep inequalities that contribute to high rates of smoking in our most disadvantaged communities, and push forward the broader policies that will make a smokefree UK a reality for everyone."
