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Revealed: Big Tobacco’s campaign to block Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban
The UK tobacco industry is lobbying the Government to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21 instead of the outright ban planned by Rishi Sunak, i can reveal.
Multiple industry sources have said they are keen to strike a deal on raising the permitted smoking age as a compromise, replacing the proposed ban on sales to future generations.
i can also reveal fierce lobbying of MPs to push back against the prohibition law, in the wake of New Zealand U-turn on its own similar policy.
One leading tobacco industry source said: “The industry has made this clear to the Government already, but it’s also indicated that if the Prime Minister does cancel the plan, then it won’t object to him raising the smoking age to 21.”
The source added that the industry would not “vociferously oppose” a rise in the smoking age and would allow the Prime Minister to claim the move as a “health victory” in order to “make it easier for him to drop the ban and save face”.
i understands that the tobacco industry has been inundating MPs with lobbying material in a bid to persuade them to oppose the changes.
Sources said that the aim was to encourage backbench MPs to generate enough of a rebellion to “unnerve” the Prime Minister with the hope of forcing him to abandon the plans.
A letter template, seen by i, is being sent to MPs, which is purportedly from constituents but has actually been drafted by employees of tobacco companies.
Earlier this month, tobacco company Philip Morris International held roundtable events with MPs, as part of its efforts to ensure heated tobacco products are exempt from any future smoking ban.
Next week, British American Tobacco will be sponsoring a private event hosted by think tank the Centre for Policy Studies and featuring the chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, Sir Graham Brady.
Lobbyists acting on behalf of Imperial Brands, the UK’s largest homegrown tobacco firm with just over 40 per cent of the market, have been engaging MPs on the All Party Parliamentary Group for Smoking and Health to discuss the group’s proposals to ban smoking.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said: “Selling cigarettes is extremely profitable, on average the Big 4 tobacco transnationals responsible for over 95 per cent of the UK cigarette market make 50 per cent net operating profits compared to under 10 per cent for UK manufacturing.”
“Although the immediate impact on sales will be small, in the long term it will end sales of cigarettes for once and for all. Of course tobacco companies are doing their level best to stop the Government going ahead, but they’re not going to succeed.”
“The Prime Minister has made very clear that he wants the smokefree generation legislation passed before the next election, and he’s got the support of the official opposition, so this is a done deal.”
Source: The i, 1 December 2023
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How tougher smoking bans save lives
In 1962, more than 70 per cent of British men and 40 per cent of British women smoked. It was an era in which tobacco companies bought and sponsored their own TV programmes and paid A-list celebrities to appear in ad campaigns. But it was also the year when serious health concerns about the effects of smoking started being raised.
By the early 60s, the Royal College of Physicians had enough evidence to push for a ban on advertising. Television advertising of tobacco products was banned in the UK in 1965 under the Television Act 1964, but that alone had little effect on smoking rates.
Health campaigners had to wait until the start of the 21st century before a series of measures were introduced that together played a significant role in reducing consumption.
In 2007, the age of sale rose from 16 to 18 and there was a ban on smoking in public places, while a vending machine ban came into effect four years later, limiting access to cigarettes.
In fact, the most dramatic change in smoking rates has been seen in 11 to 15-year-olds. Around 20 per cent of this age group smoked in 1982 when data was first collected – a figure that did not decrease until after 2000. Today, just two per cent of those in that age group are current smokers.
A tax escalator, which automatically increases tobacco taxes by a certain percentage above the inflation rate, was reintroduced in 2010.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), told i: “Smoking rates declined rapidly after regulation of tobacco was ratcheted up starting 20 years ago. Key measures included banning all advertising and smoking in public places, raising the age of sale and putting cigarettes in plain packs with large graphic health warnings and out of sight in shops, but implementation overlapped so it is not possible to say which measure had the biggest impact.”
A ban on the use of misleading terms such as “light” or “mild” was introduced in 2003 while a legal requirement for tobacco packaging to include graphic picture warnings arrived in 2008.
Despite all of the above there is still some way to go in achieving the Government’s aim of a “smoke free” society by 2030, meaning only five per cent of the population would smoke. In 2022, around 12.9 per cent of people in the UK aged 18 years and over, around 6.4 million people, smoked cigarettes, according to latest Office for National Statistics estimates.
Cancer Research UK’s prevention policy manager, Alizee Froguel, said: “Smoking rates fall when leaders take decisive action. That’s why we support the UK Government’s commitment to changing the age of sale of tobacco. The legislation, if implemented, will ensure no one currently aged 14 or under can ever be legally sold cigarettes or other tobacco products, which could stop the next generation ever becoming addicted to them. The Government should move to bring this legislation before Parliament in early 2024, and we call on MPs from all parties to support it.”
Source: The i, December 1 2023
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Thousands of lives at risk if Sunak rolls back smoking ban, health experts say
Thousands more smokers will die early if Rishi Sunak reneges on his promise to ban smoking in the UK, health experts have warned.
The head of campaign group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) told i that ministers should expect Big Tobacco to lobby against the planned ban given how much money they still make on cigarettes.
ASH chief executive Deborah Arnott said: “Selling cigarettes is extremely profitable, on average the Big Four tobacco transnationals responsible for over 95 per cent of the UK cigarette market make 50 per cent net operating profits compared to under 10 per cent for UK manufacturing. Although the immediate impact on sales will be small, in the long-term it will end sales of cigarettes for once and for all.”
“Of course tobacco companies are doing their level best to stop the Government going ahead, but they’re not going to succeed. The Prime Minister has made very clear that he wants the smokefree generation legislation passed before the next election, and he’s got the support of the official opposition, so this is a done deal.”
The UK Lung Cancer Coalition, a group of the nation’s leading lung cancer experts, senior NHS professionals, charities and healthcare companies, said it was concerned that industry lobbying for raising the smoking age from 18 to 21 instead of an outright ban could pay off.
Chair Professor Mick Peake said: “We are concerned the Government may be considering reneging on their proposals to create a smokefree generation. Over 80 per cent of lung cancer deaths in the UK are caused by tobacco smoking."
“The UKLCC has steadfastly supported the cancer community’s efforts to lobby for tighter tobacco legislation, with major breakthroughs such as the ban on smoking in public places and cigarette advertising – and the plain packaging campaign."
“Together with the recent introduction of targeted lung cancer screening among 55- to 74-year-olds with a history of smoking in England, this progressive phasing out of cigarette sales will not only mean fewer people smoke but thousands of lives could be saved from this devastating disease.”
“However, the Government must also continue to invest in public health initiatives to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking as well as smoking cessation services which have been significantly curtailed in recent years.”
The UKLCC is calling for a drastic improvement in UK lung cancer care to raise five-year survival rates to 25 per cent by 2025. The rate is currently 16 per cent.
Source: The i, 2 December 2023
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Mapped: Areas in the UK with the most smokers revealed
The areas in the UK with the highest prevalence of smoking have been revealed.
Data from the Office of National Statisitics show how many people in the UK smoke cigarettes and e-cigerattes as part of the annual population survey.
Mid Devon leads as the local authority with the highest percentage of adults smokers - 25.1 per cent - closely followed by Hastings (23.7%) and Lincoln (23.5%).
At the other end of the scale, London borough Richmond upon Thames has a smoking prevalence of 6.2 per cent - the lowest number of adult smokers in England.
Statistics from NHS show Richmond upon Thames council spends an average of £2,423 per person on Stop Smoking Services, and the total cost for the delivery of stop-smoking services from April to June 2023 was found to be £21,814 for the council.
Gateshead took the top spot with an average of £43,190 spent per person quitting smoking, including pharmacotherapies. While it is among the highest number of self-reported successful quitters, the total spending costs are almost double that of the second-largest spending local authority, Buckinghamshire.
Navin Khosla, Pharmacist at NowPatient said: “While it is difficult to pinpoint why cities in the north have a higher smoking prevalence than the south, data from the NHS Stop Smoking service has revealed that the north-east saw over 580 (per 100,000) smokers report successfully quitting the habit, highlighting the efforts being made in the region to reduce these overriding figures.”
“Similarly, the north-west saw over 440 (per 100,000) smokers reporting a successful end to their habit. Despite the lower smoking figures in the south of England, 441 (per 100,000) smokers reported quitting smoking, suggesting an active effort despite the lower prevalence of smokers overall.”
Source: The Independent, 2 December 2023
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Obesity and weight gain cost Britain £98bn a year
Britain’s weight problem is costing almost £100 billion a year and will scupper Rishi Sunak’s plans to get the sick back to work, analysis suggests.
The cost of obesity is expected to grow by another £10 billion over the next 15 years as the nation’s population ages, according to a comprehensive report on the impact on the country’s finances.
Henry Dimbleby, the government’s former food adviser is urging ministers to introduce smoking-style restrictions on junk food rather than continue with “hugely problematic” plans to put millions of people on weight-loss drugs.
Anti-obesity measures such as a 9pm junk food advertising watershed and a ban on buy-one-get-one-free deals on unhealthy products have been delayed until 2025 and Victoria Atkins, the health secretary, says she wants to give people “help and advice on how to be healthier” in a “way that is not nanny-statish”.
However, the Tony Blair Institute commissioned Frontier Economics to update a 2020 analysis which put the cost of obesity to Britain at £58 billion a year, mainly through years of good quality life lost to weight-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, strokes and joint problems.
The updated figures include a wider estimate of the economic consequences of obesity, such as an estimated 350,000 people aged 50-64 who are out of work because of their weight.
The cost to the NHS of obesity-related illness is now estimated at £19.2 billion a year, up from £10.8 billion, while the wider social costs include productivity losses of £15.1 billion, compared with £1.7 billion previously. The total cost of £98 billion, which includes the £63 billion cost of shorter, unhealthier lives, is equivalent to about 4 per cent of GDP.
Last month ministers launched a back-to-work plan aiming to get the long-term sick back into employment through a combination of sanctions and support schemes, after Sunak promised to end “the national scandal” of 2.5 million people of working age on incapacity benefits.
But Dimbleby points out that these long-term sick are often suffering from conditions such as joint and back pain, and mental health problems that are made worse by obesity.
Source: The Times, 3 December 2023
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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