ACTION ALERT – Write to your MP!

The second reading of the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill takes place in the House of Commons next week (Tuesday November 26).

Although the Government backed down on its plan to ban smoking outside pubs and other hospitality venues, the revised Bill will nevertheless give government the power to prohibit smoking outside hospitals (in England) and schools.

Some of you may wonder why we are opposed to such bans. The answer is simple: to the best of our knowledge there is no evidence that smoking in the open air is a significant threat to other people's health, including children, and if we concede that smoking in any outdoor space should be prohibited it's only a matter of time before government moves ahead and bans smoking on beaches and in public parks – anywhere, in fact, where a child might conceivably be present. 

Of course, adults who smoke should be courteous and considerate towards those around them, children especially, but yet another law dictating how people behave – when in reality a dwindling number of adults smoke outside schools or in close proximity to children – is a ridiculous over-reaction, especially when the impact on adult smokers can be disproportionate to the 'offence'.

On Tuesday The Times reported that:

Forest, the tobacco industry funded smokers’ lobby group, has said a smoking ban outside hospitals was “cruel” because it could be a comfort to patients, visitors and staff “who want a quiet, stress-free moment”.

Meanwhile, leading cancer specialist Professor Karol Sikora told the Telegraph:

"When it comes to hospitals, we have to be liberal about smoking out of sheer empathy for the patients – many of whom are at the end of their lives. There’s no doubt that smoking is bad for you, so I’m not suggesting that we should encourage people to do it. But for many patients it’s a lifeline – a practice that brings comfort and relief at times of deep distress."

See: I’m a doctor – Labour’s plan to ban smoking outside hospitals is a ridiculous show of nanny statism (Telegraph) and Why hospital smoking bans are wrong (Taking Liberties).

Given Labour's huge majority we expect the Bill to be passed. Nevertheless, it may still be possible to persuade MPs and peers to support amendments to the Bill – raising the age of sale of tobacco from 18 to 21, for example, rather than increasing the age of sale by one year every year.

To be clear, Forest does NOT support raising the age of sale above 18, when UK citizens are legally adults. We have to be pragmatic, however, and acknowledge that if the Government is determined to increase the age of sale, raising it to 21 is better than a generational ban that will infantilise future generations of adults, creating a two-tier society in which some adults can buy tobacco and others can't, whilst driving more and more people to the black market.

In short, it is vital that we make our views known so that MPs of ALL parties are in no doubt about the strength of feeling on these issues – so please write to your constituency MP before Tuesday (ie as soon as possible) using the subject heading, 'Tobacco and Vapes Bill'.

To confirm the identity of your MP, and check their email address, click here.

See also: Scottish Lib Dems opposed to gradually increasing tobacco age limit (STV, November 16) and The [generational] smoking ban: the least conservative policy in the last 14 years, according to Kemi Badenoch (The Spectator, September 26).

One of the arguments you will hear from the anti-smoking lobby is that the public supports a generational smoking ban. That's what they want the Government to believe but public opinion is more complicated than that.

Last month, for example, Forest commissioned a survey by Yonder Consulting (formerly Populus) and in response to the question below, the result was rather different:

If a person is legally an adult at 18, 60% think they SHOULD be allowed to purchase cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Naturally the mainstream media has shown zero interest in the poll, so please inform your MP. You can send them the image below.

As expected, smokers were dealt a further blow last month when Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased the tax on cigarettes by inflation plus two per cent (the so-called 'tobacco escalator'). Hand-rolling tobacco took an even bigger hit, with the duty going up up by 10%.

Criticising the tax hikes, Forest issued this statement:

"Increasing the tax on tobacco above inflation will drive even more smokers to the black market, fuelling illicit trade, and hurting legitimate retailers.

"It discriminates against consumers from poorer backgrounds for whom smoking may be one of the few pleasures available to them.

"Instead of punishing the low paid, the government should focus on improving the environmental conditions that drive many people to smoke in the first place."

Our response was reported by, among others, The Sun, Daily Mirror, Birmingham Mail, and other regional titles.

We also criticised the Chancellor's decision to introduce a tax on vape liquids:

"If the government’s aim is to reduce the number of smokers, increasing the cost of the most successful smoking cessation aid is a really stupid thing to do.

"A better solution to the issue of children vaping is not to penalise adults who are trying to quit smoking but to prosecute and punish those who sell vapes to anyone under 18."

If there is any good news to be taken from the Budget it's the fact that the Treasury once again rejected calls to introduce an additional levy on the tobacco companies that would almost certainly be passed on to the consumer.

A tobacco levy – which Forest has always opposed – is the holy grail for many anti-smoking activists, so let's mark that up as a small victory.

The Times, November 19:
Forest, the tobacco industry funded smokers’ lobby group, has said a smoking ban outside hospitals was “cruel” because it could be a comfort to patients, visitors and staff “who want a quiet, stress-free moment”.

BBC News, Devon, November 13:
Simon Clark, director of the smokers lobby group Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco, said it was well-known the majority of smokers come from poor[er] backgrounds. He said many people smoke for pleasure, but also for comfort. Mr Clark added: "What local authorities and central government should be doing is improving the conditions in which people live."

BBC News, November 5:
The government is considering plans to make it illegal to smoke outside hospitals but the smokers’ campaign group Forest said it was "cruel" because smoking could be a comfort to patients, visitors and staff "who want a quiet, stress-free moment".

Tobacco Reporter, November 5:
Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: “Creating a two-tier society in which some adults are permitted to buy tobacco and others aren’t discriminates against younger adults. It will cause huge confusion in shops and could lead to even more retail crime.”

BBC Guernsey, November 1:
Guernsey's ban on smoking in cars carrying children aged under 18 has come into force ... But Simon Clark, director of the UK smokers' lobby group Forest, said he did not see the point of the legislation. "We've always felt that legislation is a step too far, it's unnecessary," he said. "We've seen over several decades that smokers have changed their behaviour, and especially around children, and they should get some credit for that, not another law dictating how they behave."

The Sun, October 31:
Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest, said: "Instead of punishing the low paid, the government should focus on improving the environmental conditions that drive many people to smoke in the first place."

Forest director Simon Clark and William Yarwood, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers Alliance, were the guest speakers when members of the LSE (London School of Economics) Hayek Society discussed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in London earlier this week.

The event was a continuation of our policy of engaging with the next generation of young adults, which is so important to our mission to keep freedom of choice and personal responsibility near the top of the political agenda.

Like every other age group, the overwhelming majority of young adults don't smoke but that doesn't mean they aren't concerned about further restrictions on individual liberty. What next? Vaping? Alcohol? Meat?

If you run a political or debating society and would like a representative of Forest to speak at one of YOUR events, do get in touch.

We were delighted to be invited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Guido Fawkes website at a special dinner in London last week.

The event – attended by two former prime ministers, three recent candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party, and the leader of Reform UK – marked the end of an era for Guido because it was announced that founder and publisher Paul Staines is stepping back and handing the reigns to Ross Kempsell (aka Lord Kempsell), a former Guido journalist who was given a peerage by Boris Johnson.

Under Staines, the Guido Fawkes website has played an important role highlighting smoking-related stories that the mainstream media has often chosen to ignore.

For example:




Best of all, perhaps, was this 2010 story, Nick Hogan released ... freed from jail by the blogosphere and this exclusive video report. It includes an interview with Forest director Simon Clark who was present when publican Nick Hogan ("Britain's smoking ban martyr") was released from jail.

Thanks, Paul. Enjoy your (semi) retirement!