New data published on July 19, 2023, shows that the public believes further action is needed to tackle smoking. The data is published as MPs and peers gather at an event hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Smoking and Health to mark four years since the government committed to make England ‘smokefree’ by 2030. Progress has been stalled, and Cancer Research UK estimate it will be missed by nine years. Smoking is currently still killing one person every five minutes in England.
The ASH Smokefree GB survey carried out by YouGov finds that 49 per cent of adults in England think the government is not doing enough to address smoking, many more than the 28 per cent who think the government is doing about right, with only seven per cent saying they are ‘doing too much’. There is overwhelming majority support for further action to:
- Place a levy on tobacco companies (76 per cent support, seven per cent oppose)
- Raise the age of sale to 21 (65 per cent support, 13 per cent oppose)
- Tobacco retail licensing (83 per cent support, four per cent oppose)
- Increasing government investment in public education campaigns (69 per cent support, nine per cent oppose)
- Pack inserts to motivate quitting (66 per cent support, nine per cent oppose)
Many of these recommendations were included in the independent Khan review published in June 2022. The review author Javed Khan will address the issue at the event.
Ahead of his speech, Javed said, “Reaching a smokefree 2030 is achievable, but it requires more action than the government has currently committed to. My 2022 review called for a holistic response that will make smoking obsolete in this country. Without a doubt, sustainable and increased funding is needed to support those with the highest rates of smoking, something which could be levied from the tobacco industry. Anything less risks leaving some groups behind and widening the already substantial inequalities caused by smoking.”
In April, the government announced a new ‘swap to stop’ scheme to distribute one million vape kits to help adults to quit, a financial incentive scheme for pregnant smokers and pack inserts to promote quitting in cigarette packs.
Neil O’Brien, the public health minister, will speak at the event and commented, “Through our new measures, the government will be supporting many more smokers to quit. One million smokers will be encouraged to ‘swap to stop’, swapping cigarettes for vapes under a new national scheme – the first of its kind in the world. We will offer evidence-based financial incentives for all pregnant women who smoke. We will also shortly be launching a consultation on cigarette pack inserts to provide further information to support smokers to quit. These are important steps on the path to achieving our bold ambition to be Smokefree by 2030.”
There is strong public support across the political spectrum for a levy on tobacco manufacturers supported by the overwhelming majority of those surveyed who voted for the three largest British political parties at the 2019 general election (Conservative 75 per cent, Labour 82 per cent, Liberal Democrats 87 per cent).
Bob Blackman MP, chairman of the APPG on Smoking and Health, said, “The government is to be congratulated for the measures to end the tobacco epidemic announced earlier this year. However, while they are a great first step, they’re not nearly enough to deliver our nation’s smokefree 2030 ambition. The public know this, there’s overwhelming popular support for the government to go further and faster. Ending smoking will protect our health and social care system and improve productivity in the here and now, as well as delivering future generations from the appalling suffering and premature death caused by smoking.”