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** 5 November 2024
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** UK
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** The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been reintroduced to Parliament this morning, receiving wide spread coverage in the media, a selection of which is included in today's Daily News. You can find ASH's press release here ([link removed]) , and coverage of the announcements as things develop via social media @AshOrgUK ([link removed]) on X.
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** Outdoor smoking ban for pubs dropped amid fears for hospitality industry (#a)
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** New restrictions limit smoking outside schools and hospitals, but pubs exempted (#1)
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** Chris Whitty comments on new Bill proposals to restrict outdoor smoking and introduce vaping restrictions (#2)
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** Parliamentarians welcome new measures in Tobacco and Vapes Bill (#3)
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** Popularity of nicotine pouches growing, but regulators are taking notice (#4)
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** Deliveroo and UberEats face ban on junk food ads amid crackdown on obesity (#5)
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** Kemi Badenoch assigns shadow ministerial positions (#7)
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** UK
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** New restrictions limit smoking outside schools and hospitals, but pubs exempted

The government has dropped plans to extend smokefree places legislation to outdoor hospitality settings with Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he didn't want to cause further harm to the hospitality industry.
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** However, health organisations have generally welcomed the Bill. Action on Smoking and Health said they support creating a country where young people would never start smoking but warned that the government still needed to set out how to help the UK's six million smokers to quit.
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** The charity's chair, Prof Nick Hopkinson said this would require a properly funded plan, which he suggested could be paid for by a levy on tobacco companies profits.

Source: BBC News, 5 November 2024
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** New restrictions limit smoking outside schools and hospitals, but pubs exempted

The UK government is set to expand its anti-smoking laws to ban smoking outside schools and hospitals as part of a national strategy to reduce tobacco use. This will be included in the tobacco and vapes bill, introduced to parliament today, and aims to curb public exposure to second-hand smoke in certain outdoor areas, protecting vulnerable groups. However, plans to restrict smoking outside pubs, cafes, and restaurants have been set aside “prompting health campaigners to complain about “vested interests” covertly influencing policy”. The bill will raise the age of sale for tobacco by one year every year from 2027 to protect future generations from smoking. It also includes new measures to reduce youth vaping by banning vape advertising and sponsorship, and limiting flavours and packaging.

Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, expressed disappointment over the outdoor smokefree proposals being diluted due to lobbying from commercial interests. She emphasised that health organisations will continue urging the government and devolved administrations to ban smoking outside hospitality venues, given the risks of second-hand smoke. Cerny welcomed the government’s commitment to limiting outdoor smoke exposure in high-consensus areas but advocated for further restrictions in hospitality settings. She called for an open, evidence-based national debate to shape protective legislation free from industry influence.

The bill will give the government the powers to prohibit smoking and vaping in some outdoor areas, subject to a public consultation.

Source: The Guardian, 5 November 2024

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** See also: ASH Press Release: ([link removed] ) Cross-party support for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill as it returns to Parliament ([link removed] )
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**
Editorial note: The 2007 indoor smoking ban was a much more radical change than banning smoking in outdoor hospitality spaces and did not have a major impact on hospitality businesses. Analysis carried out by Mark Easton ([link removed]) in the BBC found that the number of premises with licenses to sell alcohol actually increased by 4,200 following smokefree legislation. This reflected a shift in the pub industry as the number of drink-only pubs declined and the number of pubs serving food increased. Easton also cited survey findings from the ONS showing that pubs were more popular following the ban than before the ban. Far from smoking outdoors not being a serious health problem, the evidence is clear: there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and repeated exposure, such as for those working in hospitality, will put non-smokers at greater risk of smoking related disease.
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** Chris Whitty comments on new proposals on stricter outdoor smoking restrictions

Writing in The Times, England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty discusses proposals in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to introduce outdoor smoking restrictions. Though plans to ban smoking in pub gardens were withdrawn, the bill targets other public spaces where children and medically vulnerable individuals are at risk such as schools and hospital grounds.

Prof Whitty says that smoke inhaled second hand in public places has the potential to cause real harm, particularly to those with existing medical conditions. The bill also aims to create a smoke-free generation, marking a pivotal step toward reducing smoking-related health risks and their strain on the NHS. Prof Whitty writes that most people who smoke wish they never started but had their choice taken away by the tactics of the tobacco industry and the addictiveness of tobacco.

The Bill will also address the growing concern over youth vaping, banning vape advertising and limiting flavours and packaging to curb its appeal to young people. Prof Whitty emphasised that adults should be able to vape anywhere they can smoke to help them quit, but that this must be balanced with vaping regulation to prevent uptake of vaping amongst young people and those who have never smoked.

Source: The Times, 5 November 2024

See also: Protecting children, families and vulnerable from tobacco harms- Professor Sir Chris Whitty ([link removed])

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** Parliamentarians welcome new measures in Tobacco and Vapes Bill

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute and the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Smoking and Health have welcomed the reintroduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill today. The new Bill has some additional measures, including a new licensing regime for tobacco and vape retailers.

Health advocates and public officials welcome the move, citing its potential to reduce youth addiction and protect public health, although some campaigners urge stronger enforcement and penalties for violations. John Herriman, chief executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), said the success of these measures will be reliant on proper funding of Trading Standards to deliver enforcement.

Members of the APPG highlight the strong cross-party support for the legislation and urge the government to pass it into law as soon as possible.

Source: Talking Retail, 5 November 2024

See also: ASH Press Release: ([link removed] ) Cross-party support for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill as it returns to Parliament ([link removed] )
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**
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Read Here ([link removed])


** Popularity of nicotine pouches growing, but regulators are taking notice

Nicotine pouches have grown in popularity recently, providing another source of income for tobacco industry giants. However, concerns that these products have greater appeal to younger people who may never have smoked has caught the attention of regulators who seek to restrict access of the next generation to nicotine products.

Source: Financial Times, 5 November 2024

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**
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** Deliveroo and UberEats face ban on junk food ads amid crackdown on obesity

The UK government is considering new policies to reduce obesity, including restrictions on junk food promotions by online delivery services like Deliveroo and UberEats. This proposal, part of a larger set of recommendations from the think tank Nesta, aims to cut the national obesity rate by half within five years. Key measures include limiting junk food advertisements on popular app homepages, establishing healthy food promotion targets for large supermarkets, and banning price promotions on unhealthy items in restaurants. Nesta's research suggests these policies could significantly decrease cases of type-2 diabetes, potentially preventing thousands annually. Expanding access to weight-loss medications is also recommended, but the think tank argues lifestyle and regulatory changes are more cost-effective in addressing obesity than relying solely on drugs.

Source: The Telegraph, 5 November 2024

See also: Nesta's blueprint for halving obesity ([link removed])
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**
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** Kemi Badenoch assigns shadow ministerial positions

Edward Argar, a former junior health minister, has been made shadow health and social care secretary.

The Conservative leader also appointed her rival leadership candidates Mel Stride and Dame Priti Patel as her shadow Chancellor and shadow foreign secretary respectively.

Source: City AM, 5 November 2024

See also:Shadow Cabinet ([link removed])

Editorial note: Edward Argar has previously been a Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care and voted for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the previous parliament.

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**
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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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