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The British Parliament has approved a bill banning the sale of cigarettes to children aged 17 and below.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, was introduced to stop anyone born after January 1, 2009 (now aged 17) from taking up smoking.
British health minister Wes Streeting described the bill’s introduction and approval as a historic moment.
“[It is] a historic moment for the nation’s health [that will lead to] the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” said Streeting.
The bill, if assented, will give the government powers to extend an indoor smoking ban to outdoor spaces such as children’s playgrounds and areas outside schools and hospitals.
It will also give the British Government new powers to restrict the flavours and packaging of vapes and ban vaping in places where smoking is already banned.
According to AFP, the bill is part of a drive to ramp up preventative health measures and ease long-term pressure on the UK’s state-funded National Health Service (NHS).
Hazel Cheeseman, director of public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), told LBC radio station that the bill was a “decisive turning point for public health”.
The Labour government introduced a ban on the sale of disposable vapes in June 2025, which are cheap and come in colourful packaging, making them popular with young people.
New Zealand became the first country to enact such a law in 2022, banning the sale of cigarettes to those born after 2008. But a newly elected conservative coalition repealed the law in November 2023, less than a year after it was introduced.
The Maldives banned the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after January 1, 2007, in 2025.
Smoking in England in 2024 caused around 75,000 deaths per year and was responsible for around a quarter of all cancer deaths, according to the NHS.
