MPs and peers gathered in Parliament last week to mark four years since the Government committed to make England ‘smokefree’ by 2030. Speakers at the event hosted by the All Party Group on Smoking and Health reflected on the progress made so far, and called for bold action from the Government to deliver the Smokefree 2030 ambition. Progress has been stalled and Cancer Research UK estimate the ambition will be missed by 9 years. Smoking is currently still killing one person every five minutes in England.
Alongside the event, health charity ASH published new public opinion data showing that people in the South East want further action to address smoking. The ASH Smokefree GB survey carried out by YouGov finds that 50% of adults in the South East think the Government is not doing enough to address smoking, many more than the 29% who think the Government is doing about right, with only 6% saying they are ‘doing too much’. There is overwhelming majority support for further action to:
- Place a levy on tobacco companies (79% support, 6% oppose)
- Raise the age of sale to 21 (64% support, 14% oppose)
- Tobacco retail licensing (84% support, 4% oppose)
- Increasing government investment in public education campaigns (71% support, 7% oppose)
- Pack inserts to motivate quitting (68% support, 9% oppose)
Many of these recommendations were included in the independent Khan review published in June 2022. The review author Dr Javed Khan addressed the meeting in Parliament to warn that the Government needed to step up its efforts to make smoking obsolete. Ahead of the meeting Dr Khan 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 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 1 million vape kits to help adults to quit, a financial incentive scheme for pregnant smokers and pack inserts to promote quitting in cigarette packs.
Public Health Minister Neil O’Brien addressed the event to reiterate the Government’s commitment to the smokefree 2030 ambition. Ahead of the event he 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 3 largest British political parties at the 2019 general election (Conservative 75%, Labour 82%, Liberal Democrats 87%).
Ahead of the event, Chairman of the APPG on Smoking and Health, Bob Blackman MP 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.”
Cathy Hunt, 57, is a mum of four from County Durham who has undergone two rounds of lung cancer surgery and had a kidney removed in June. She attended the event in Parliament to let MPs know what she thinks about the progress being made. She is the face of a new quit campaign in the North East led by regional organisation Fresh and a local councillor. Cathy backs greater investment in public education campaigns and a levy on tobacco companies. Cathy says:
“You hear the word cancer and the first thing I thought was “how do I tell my girls?” For me it was only when I found out I had cancer that I stopped smoking, and even then quitting was the best thing I could do. But this is exactly why you need those warnings and constant reminders on the TV…to stop more people getting that to that awful stage. It is so easy to put it to the back of your mind otherwise.
“I was 11 when I started smoking and most smokers begin as kids, long before you really understand addiction, or the risks. But tobacco companies understand the risks all too well. Tobacco companies are profiting and they should be sued and that money paid used for treatment and prevention.”
