The government has confirmed it plans to ban single-use disposable vapes and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has rejected claims by his predecessor, Liz Truss, that the measure is “unconservative.”
During a visit to a school on Monday, Mr. Sunak said the move was designed to stamp out vaping among young people after it emerged the number of children aged 11 to 17 using vapes had risen from 7.7 percent in 2021 to 69 percent in 2023.
Sunak Defends ‘Strong Action’
Mr. Sunak told broadcasters: “You talk to any parent or teacher, they’ll talk to you about the worrying rise in vaping among children. Children shouldn’t be vaping, we don’t want them to get addicted, we still don’t understand the full long-term health impacts of vaping. So it is right we take strong action to stamp this out.”On Sunday, Ms. Truss, said, “Banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or later will create an absurd situation where adults enjoy different rights based on their birth date.”
“A Conservative government should not be seeking to extend the nanny state. This will only give succour to those who wish to ban further choices of which they don’t approve,” she added.
Ms. Truss said, “The government urgently needs to follow suit and reverse this profoundly unconservative policy.”
Opponents of the government’s move say abuse of the law by children should not be a reason to forbid adults—especially those seeking to give up smoking tobacco—from buying disposable vapes.
Mr. Sunak said: “It is important that we maintain vapes for adult smokers who want to stop (but) we have got the balance right, supporting adult smokers to stop smoking … but targeting all the things that make sure children don’t have access to vapes.”
He said when the government introduces legislation later this year to ban disposable vape there would be a free vote in Parliament.
The prime minister said: “I don’t think there’s anything unconservative about caring about our children’s health. But on smoking, there’s been a long tradition in Parliament of these being free votes, which aren’t party political, people will have their own held views on that, that’s the same as it’s been in the past.”
He insisted he was doing the right thing.
Shares in companies which make disposable vapes crashed on Monday when the London Stock Exchange opened.
Chill Brands saw its shares fall by 35 percent, and rival Supreme saw their stocks fall by 12 percent.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme the vaping market had developed very quickly in the past decade.
She said: “We have also seen emerging evidence of young people, children, taking up vaping as well.
“What I think has shocked a lot of parents is how cynically the companies have marketed their products toward children and young people through, for example, creating flavours such as bubble gum and candy floss, but also through the very bright colours of the packaging.”
The health secretary said, “What we want to do is to stop the sale of disposable vapes because we know they’re that much cheaper than reusable vapes, and they are marketed in the way that they are.”
Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty said, “If passed, this legislation would have a major public health impact across many future generations.”
Scotland Will Also Ban Disposable Vapes
The Scottish government announced on Monday it would be following suit and banning disposable vapes north of the border.Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said, “From litter on our streets to the risk of fires in waste facilities, single-use vapes are an increasing issue for our environment, local communities and young people.”
“We were the first government to commit to taking action on single-use vapes and, having now fulfilled our 2023 programme for government commitment to consult on measures to tackle the environmental impact of single-use vapes, I welcome the findings from this UK-wide consultation. It shows a clear majority preference for a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland,” she added.
The Northern Ireland Assembly is not sitting due to a political deadlock which has lasted for two years.
But Northern Ireland’s Department of Health said, “The department will make the necessary preparations to allow incoming ministers and the NI Assembly to take a decision on introducing the regulations in Northern Ireland.”
