Smoking ban: doctors hail landmark law to end ‘scourge’ of cigarettes

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By Erin Dean and Ella Pickover, PA Media

Doctors have welcomed the arrival of the “landmark” UK law that will prevent children aged 17 or younger from ever legally buying cigarettes.

The Tobacco and Vapes Act, which is designed to stop this generation of children from ever taking up smoking, has gone through its final hurdle and been given royal assent, making it UK law.

Medical leaders welcomed the change as a “significant milestone” in efforts to reduce smoking-related harm and address the growing uptake of vaping among children and young adults.

The British Medical Association, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Surgeons of England were among those to join health charities and politicians celebrating the move.

Government estimates suggest that under the new law, the total number of smokers aged 14 and over is estimated to fall from 5.5 million in 2023, to just over 700,000 in 2056.

This number will continue to fall to less than 1,000 by the turn of the next century, according to the estimates.