Labor government to BAN vaping in indoor public spaces and restrict bright packaging and fruity flavors in major crackdown

Indoor vaping will be banned in public places and bright packaging and fruity flavors will be restricted as part of a major crackdown on the habit.

Retailers will be forced to obtain a license to sell vapes and tobacco and could face fines of up to £2,500 if they break stricter rules.

Under government plans, manufacturers will have to sell vapes in plain packaging and stop producing tasty flavors in a bid to make them less appealing to children.

The gadgets will be hidden from view in stores, as is already the case with cigarettes, and there will be a ban on vaping advertising and sponsorship.

Shops could face an on-the-spot fine of £200 if they are caught breaking the law under the Trading Standards, while repeat offenders could face stiffer financial penalties and have their license revoked in court.

The new ‘world-leading reforms’ are included in the Tobacco and Vapes Act, which the government will introduce in Parliament today (TUE).

The Department of Health and Social Care said it will create a ‘smoke-free generation’ by phasing out the sale of tobacco products in the UK.

Anyone who is 15 years old or young this year will never be able to legally buy tobacco this year, as the age limit is lifted by one year every year.

The ‘tough’ laws will also give ministers the power to extend the current indoor smoking ban to certain outdoor environments, including around schools, hospitals and playgrounds.

But in a major twist to the leaked proposals, the extensions will not apply to areas outside bars, pubs and restaurants – much to the relief of the country’s struggling hospitality sector.

Disposable vapors will also be banned from June 1, 2025 under separate environmental legislation.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘Unless we take action to help people stay healthy, the rising tide of ill health in our society threatens to overwhelm and bankrupt our NHS.

‘This government is taking bold action to create the first smoke-free generation, to prevent children from becoming addicted to nicotine through vaping, and to protect children and vulnerable people from the harms of secondhand smoke.

‘This historic legislation will save thousands of lives and protect the NHS.

‘By building a healthy society, we also help build a healthy economy, in which fewer people become ill.’

The proposals, which will be subject to public consultation, aim to protect children from addiction to nicotine while allowing adult smokers to use vaping as a quit aid.

Selling vapes to under 18s is illegal.

But vaping among young people has more than doubled in the past four years, with the government blaming the ‘targeting of vaping through flavors, branding and advertising’.

By 2023, one in four 11- to 15-year-olds had tried vaping.

Professor Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer, said: ‘The rising number of children vaping is a major concern and the Tobacco and Vaping Act will help prevent vapes being marketed to children, which is completely unacceptable.’

Hazel Cheeseman, director of the charity Action on Smoking and Health, said: ‘Vapes are an essential tool to help adults quit, but regulations have been in need of an overhaul for several years since attractive disposable vapes hit the market and encouraged use among teenagers .

‘This new legislation takes important powers to regulate product design, branding and content in a way that can protect children from vaping and increase product quality for adults switching.’

The Conservatives had proposed their own Tobacco and Vape Bill, but it was not passed into law until after the general election. It did not contain many measures.

Smoking claims around 80,000 lives in Britain every year, putting enormous pressure on the NHS, taking up appointments, scans and operations and costing the taxpayer £3.1 billion a year.

The cost of smoking to the economy is even greater, with £18 billion lost in productivity every year as smokers are a third more likely to get sick, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Tobacco is responsible for one in four of all cancer deaths and kills up to two-thirds of long-term users.

Smoking also significantly increases the risk of many serious health problems throughout people’s lives, such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease, stillbirth, dementia and asthma.

Almost every minute someone is admitted to hospital due to smoking and up to 75,000 GP appointments every month can be attributed to smoking – more than 100 per hour.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality, said: ‘The rumored ban on smoking in outdoor areas understandably caused fear among hospitality businesses, who were concerned that it would impact trade and undermine their investment in creating outdoor spaces for customers.

“While we have yet to see the details, this initial confirmation that hospitality will not be included is positive.”