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** 5 July 2024
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** UK
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** Britain wakes up to Labour landslide (#1)
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** Smoking rates in pregnancy fall to all-time low (#3)
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** International
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** Netherlands: Legislative changes regarding sale of tobacco have come into effect (#2)
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** Links of the week
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** Statistics on Women's Smoking Status at Time of Delivery: England, Quarter 4, 2023/24 (#S)
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** Podcast: Let’s talk e-cigarettes (#C)
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** UK
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** Britain wakes up to Labour landslide
Keir Starmer has said the “sunlight of hope” is now shining in Britain again as Labour won a landslide UK election victory, bringing a crushing end to 14 years of Conservative rule.
The Labour leader is expected to officially become prime minister later on Friday after Rishi Sunak conceded, with voters giving Starmer a large mandate to bring about change in Britain.
Labour is on course to win more than 410 seats, while the Conservatives were on just 115, with 15 left to declare by 7am. The government’s likely majority is set to be about 170 seats. The party dominated in Scotland, with the SNP reduced to eight seats so far, while the Liberal Democrats gained at least 70 seats.
Labour has less than two weeks before presenting its first package of legislation in the king’s speech, including legislation to bolster workers’ rights and to set up Great British Energy, the energy generation company at the heart of Labour’s green plans.
A meeting of the European Political Community will follow immediately afterwards in London – Starmer’s first chance to lobby officially for improved trading relations and to begin work on a new deal over cross-Channel asylum seekers.
Having led a tightly controlled campaign with little in the way of spontaneous interaction with the public or new policy ideas, Starmer is under pressure to spell out in greater detail how he intends to begin tackling problems ranging from Britain’s prisons crisis to record NHS waiting lists.
Rachel Reeves is likely to present her first budget in the autumn, where she is expected to announce Labour’s first tax policies, including tightening non-dom tax breaks, extending the oil and gas windfall tax and taxing private school fees.
Source: The Guardian, 5 July 2024
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Read Here ([link removed])
** Smoking rates in pregnancy fall to all-time low
Smoking rates among pregnant women have fallen to the lowest levels since records began, according to NHS Digital statistics.
Rates of smoking at the point of delivery were 8.8% in 2022/23 among pregnant women but fell to 7.4% in 2023/24, which is a difference of around 6,000 women. However, this is still above the national ambition of 6% or less.
Only 28 out of 106 submitting sub-ICBs met the national ambition of 6% or less in the fourth quarter of 2023/24, NHS Digital said.
John Waldron, policy and public affairs manager at Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said:
‘Following a long period of stagnation, we are witnessing record falls in rates of maternal smoking thanks to targeted interventions and support services.
‘The integration of smoking cessation into routine care for pregnant women and people shows what can be achieved for smokers.’
Clare Livingstone, professional policy advisor with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said: ‘We are thrilled to see record falls in smoking rates among pregnant women, a testament to the dedication and hard work of our maternity services. This achievement is a significant milestone in improving the health of mothers and babies.
‘By integrating smoking cessation support into routine care, we are not only protecting the health of the current generation but also setting a strong foundation for the future. The collaboration between our midwives, healthcare professionals, and the wider community is truly making a difference, and we are committed to continuing this vital work to ensure even greater reductions in smoking rates among expectant mothers.’
Last year, the Government said ICSs would be expected to take a lead on smoking prevention as part of a national ‘smoke free scheme’ which included smokers being offered vapes to help them quit.
In February, nearly 400,000 vape kits were set to be sent to smokers in England as part of the swap-to-stop scheme.
Source: Pulse, 4 July 2024
See also: ASH - Rates of smoking in pregnancy see biggest single-year drop since data started being recorded ([link removed]) | NHS digital - Statistics on Women's Smoking Status at Time of Delivery: England, Quarter 4, 2023/24 ([link removed])
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Read Here ([link removed])
** International
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** Netherlands: Legislative changes regarding sale of tobacco have come into effect
As of the 1st of July, tobacco may no longer be sold in supermarkets or catering establishments. Smokers must go to a specialty store for tobacco products.
Source: NL Times, 29 June 2024
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Read Here ([link removed])
** Links of the week
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** Statistics on Women's Smoking Status at Time of Delivery: England, Quarter 4, 2023/24
NHS Digital has published the latest Smoking Status at Time of Delivery data for England, Quarter 4, 2023/24. The data shows that SATOD rates have fallen to an all time low, with 7.4% of women smoking at the time of delivery in 2023/24, down from 8.8% in 2022/23. This is the biggest drop in national SATOD rates since records began in 2006. This puts us within touching distance of the national ambition of 6% or fewer women smoking at the time of delivery.
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Read Here ([link removed])
**
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** Podcast: Let’s talk e-cigarettes
Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research interview Louise Ross from the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT).
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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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