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Letters to the Telegraph highlight mixed views on proposed tobacco and vape legislation from retail voices
The Telegraph has published a series of letters from retail and vaping industries on the implications of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and disposable vapes ban. Liam Humberstone of the Independent British Vape Trade Association highlights how consumers are adapting by shifting to reusable vape devices—leading to a substantial reduction in battery waste.
In contrast, Paul Cheema, convenience store owner and Chairman of C-Talk which has worked with Philip Morris, argues that restricting the sale of tobacco and nicotine products will only increase staff abuse, and drive customers to the illicit tobacco market. He calls on the Secretary of State for Business to attend a meeting to discuss these concerns. Deirdre Lay, on behalf of the UK Vaping Industry Association, suggests that the ban on disposable vapes may prompt some users to return to smoking.
Source: The Telegraph, 4 June 2025
See also: ASH- Support for Stopping the Start: Local retailers and the public back smokefree generation laws
Editorial note: Claims that product restrictions will boost illicit trade and worsen health outcomes are arguments that have been frequently employed by the tobacco industry to oppose public health measures. Since the generational smoking ban was announced, tobacco manufacturers have argued that the legislation will harm small retailers and paid for advertising urging retailers to lobby against the legislation.
However, research independent of the tobacco industry commissioned by ASH finds that most retailers support the government proposals. More than half (51%) of 900 small tobacco retailers in England and Wales spoken to on the phone by independent researchers supported the government’s age of sale proposal, nearly double those opposed (26%).
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Retailers and experts weigh impact of disposable vape ban
This BBC report highlights support for the UK-wide ban on single-use disposable vapes from shop owners and public health experts. A vape shop owner from Somerset welcomed the ban, noting a reduction in littered batteries and anticipating a significant environmental impact in the coming year. Health professionals have acknowledged the environmental gains but note potential unintended consequences, including the risk of some people buying illicit vapes or returning to smoking. Gloucestershire's director of public health stresses that while vaping can be a useful cessation aid for adults, it poses unknown risks to young people and non-smokers due to the lack of long-term data.
Source: BBC News, 4 June 2025
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Opinion: disposable vape ban will fail without enforcement
In this opinion piece for LBC, George Icke describes how he was able to buy illegal disposable vapes from five Nottingham shops a day after the national ban took effect. He highlights how non-compliant products were still being sold openly, suggesting that little has changed for many retailers.
George argues the core issue is weak enforcement, with trading standards teams lacking the resources to police the new rules. He warns that this failure will fuel a shift towards underground sales. While he supports the ban’s aims—especially on environmental and youth health grounds—he believes that without more enforcement, the legislation risks being ineffective.
Source: LBC, 3 June 2025
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Nicotine pouches boost British American Tobacco's sales
British American Tobacco (BAT) has reported a significant increase in demand for its oral nicotine pouches. This has led BAT to raise its full-year revenue growth forecast. Despite this, BAT continues to derive most of its revenue from traditional cigarettes, and while industry-wide sales have fallen by around 9% so far this year, BAT reported growing market share for some cigarette brands including Lucky Strike.
Source: The Independent, 3 June 2025
See also: Financial Times – British American Tobacco signals return to US profit growth this year
Editorial note: This report has been included to provide insight into market trends and industry developments.
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Written Questions
Asked by Lord Rennard, Liberal Democrat
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which tobacco industry pricing strategies undermine the objectives of the minimum excise tax and tobacco excise tax to reduce smoking prevalence.
Answered by Lord Livermore, Financial Secretary (HM Treasury), Labour
Like most businesses across the economy, tobacco producers and retailers are free to set prices for their products. Evidence suggests that close to 100% of tax increases, and in many cases more, is passed through to consumers through prices. How this is distributed across products is a matter for the individual firms.
The UK has some of the highest tobacco taxes in the world which have helped reduce smoking prevalence to 11.9%.
In order to protect the public health objectives of tobacco taxation the Minimum Excise Tax sets a minimum amount of duty collected on a pack of cigarettes. This discourages manufacturers from selling cheap cigarettes as it reduces the profitability of cigarettes sold at or below the trigger price of £13.59 for a pack of 20 cigarettes.
Source: Hansard, 3 June 2025
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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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