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** 20 February 2025
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** UK
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** Life expectancy growth slows across Europe, with England hit hardest (#1)
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** Opinion: Wales' minimum alcohol pricing shows positive impact but needs adjustments (#2)
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** Thousands of pounds worth of illegal vapes and cigarettes seized in Rotherham (#3)
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** Illegal tobacco and vapes worth £7,500 seized from Devon shop (#6)
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** Parliamentary activity
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** Written question (#5)
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** UK
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** Life expectancy growth slows across Europe, with England hit hardest

The rate of life expectancy improvement across Europe has slowed significantly, with England experiencing the sharpest decline, according to new research. Between 1990 and 2011, the continent saw average annual gains of 0.23 years, but this dropped to 0.15 years between 2011 and 2019. England’s improvement rate fell the most, declining from 0.25 to 0.07 years annually.

Experts attribute this trend to rising obesity levels, poor diets and declining physical activity, which have contributed to increased deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Countries that maintained stronger life expectancy gains, such as Norway and Sweden, had lower rates of these conditions. The findings highlight the need for urgent policy interventions to promote healthier lifestyles and curb obesity levels.

Source: The Guardian, 18 February 2025

See also: The Lancet Public Health - Changing life expectancy in European countries 1990–2021: a subanalysis of causes and risk factors from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 ([link removed](25)00009-X/fulltext)

Editorial note: The study states that “reductions in cardiovascular risk factors, particularly high blood pressure and tobacco smoking, explained 30–40% of the reduction in cardiovascular mortality in England in 2000–07
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** Opinion: Wales' minimum alcohol pricing shows positive impact but needs adjustments

Writing for the Conversation, Kate Holloway, Professor of Criminology at the University of South Wales and Wulf Livingstone, Professor of Alcohol Studies at Wrexham Glyndwr University discuss the success of minimum unit pricing in Wales 5 years after its introduction. Research suggests the policy has reduced consumption and removed some of the cheapest high-strength products from the market. The authors add that compliance has been high, and fears of unintended consequences, such as increased shoplifting or cross-border purchasing, have largely not materialised.

Holloway and Livingstone write that while the policy appears to be achieving its goal of reducing alcohol-related harm, they recommend revising the price threshold, which was set over a decade ago, to maintain its effectiveness. They also stress the need for greater investment in treatment and support services, particularly for low-income individuals disproportionately affected by price increases. Concluding, the authors state that minimum pricing is effective but should only be one part of a broader strategy to tackle alcohol harm.

Source: The Conversation, 18 February 2025

Editorial note: Media stories covering prevention of ill-health are being included in ASH Daily News because policy change in these areas is indicative of the Government’s position on prevention and their attitudes to harm-causing industries.
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** Thousands of pounds worth of illegal vapes and cigarettes seized in Rotherham

Authorities in Rotherham have confiscated over £30,000 worth of suspected counterfeit and unregulated vapes and cigarettes from a shop in the area. The operation, carried out by police and trading standards officers, followed concerns raised by residents and local businesses, including reports of anti-social behaviour linked to the premises.

Among the seized items were thousands of pounds' worth of illicit vape products and over 150 packs of illegal cigarettes. Officials warn that illicit vapes and tobacco can often end up in the hands of young people. Joint enforcement efforts have so far led to the removal of over £639,000 worth of illegal tobacco and vape products in the area.

Source: BBC news, 19 February 2025
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** Illegal tobacco and vapes worth £7,500 seized from Devon shop

Authorities in Devon have confiscated £7,500 worth of suspected illegal tobacco, cigarettes, and vapes from a shop in Newton Abbot. The operation, carried out by police and trading standards officers, uncovered hundreds of cigarette packs, tobacco pouches, and non-compliant vapes.

Officials warn that sellers of such products often target young people and undermine legitimate businesses. They encourage the public to report illegal sales, as intelligence from local communities plays a crucial role in tackling the issue. Enforcement efforts will continue to focus on disrupting the supply of unregulated tobacco and vape products.

Source: BBC news, 19 February 2025
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**
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** Parliamentary activity
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** Written question

Asked by Jo Platt, Labour, Leigh and Atherton
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to tackle tax evasion in vape shops.

Answered by James Murray, Exchequer Secretary to the Chancellor, Labour, Ealing North
The Government recognises that sometimes businesses do not declare all of their income and thereby conceal their true earnings. We are committed to creating a level playing field for all, by ensuring that everyone pays the right amount of tax at the right time, to ensure trust and fairness in the tax system. Most taxpayers pay what they owe, but a small minority fail to register with HMRC or only declare a portion of their earnings. This small minority deprive our vital public services of funding, affect fair competition between businesses, and place unfair burdens on everyone else. It is vital these revenues are collected to fund our essential public services. Closing the tax gap and making sure that more of the tax that is owed is correctly paid, is one of the Government’s top priorities for HMRC.

HMRC is making it increasingly difficult for businesses to hide their earnings and have an extensive range of powers, including information gathering powers, that help build a picture of risk and identify those who are trying to abuse the system. HMRC’s approach to tax evasion aims to tackle current non-compliance and change future behaviours. These range from producing learning packages on tax obligations for schools, through to national campaigns and specialist task forces which incorporate intensive bursts of compliance activity in specific trade sectors and locations across the UK. HMRC undertakes a range of compliance activity, across every sector of the economy, to ensure that our customers are paying the correct amount of tax.

Source: Hansard, 18 February 2025
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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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