The new Labour government will introduce a bill to progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes and impose limits on the sales and marketing of vapes, His Majesty the King has confirmed in a speech today.
Under the proposed Tobacco and Vapes bill, children born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to legally be sold cigarettes.
The bill will also stop vapes and other consumer nicotine products from being deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children.
The Tobacco and Vapes bill was proposed under the previous Conservative government, and was voted through the House of Commons in April.
It has also passed the Committee stage, but must still pass a third reading in the House of Commons, three readings in the House of Lords, amendments and Royal Assent before becoming legislation.
In the King’s Speech today, the government also committed to improving the NHS ‘as a service for all, providing care on the basis of need, regardless of the ability to pay’.
King Charles III also highlighted a focus on prevention, as well as efforts to reduce waiting times.
And he said the government would ‘ensure mental health is getting the same attention and focus as physical’, including by improving mental health provision to young people and modernising the Mental Health Act.
A version of this story was first published on our sister title The Pharmacist.
