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** 11 July 2025
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** UK
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Labour MPs uneasy over rise in party-backed sponsored receptions (#1)
Barnsley celebrates drop in smoking during pregnancy (#2)
Public health chiefs defend use of vapes to help smokers quit in Hertfordshire (#3)
Call to ban junk food sponsorship in sport to protect young people’s health (#4)


** Parliamentary
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Written Questions (#5)


** Links of the Week
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ASH: Press Release – New data on vaping uncovers a public health disconnect (#6)
Urgent call to tackle rising vaping risk misperceptions to help smokers quit (#7)
Short expert videos shown to shift young adults’ views on vaping risks (#8)


** UK
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** Labour MPs uneasy over rise in party-backed sponsored receptions

Labour backbenchers have voiced unease about a growing number of corporate-sponsored networking events arranged by the parliamentary party. Invitations to these receptions, circulated by the Parliamentary Labour Party office and party whips, often carry promotional messages for property developers, outsourcing firms and public affairs companies. Some MPs say this sits uncomfortably with Labour’s values and raises concerns about perceived conflicts of interest, particularly where sponsors have direct stakes in government policy areas. The party maintains that such commercial partnerships are longstanding and do not influence its policies.

Source: The Guardian, 9 July 2025
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** Barnsley celebrates drop in smoking during pregnancy

Health officials in Barnsley have welcomed a sharp decline in the number of women smoking while pregnant, with recent figures showing rates at their lowest in a decade. Latest SATOD (Smoking at Time of Delivery) data reveals only eight percent of expectant mothers were recorded as smoking in 2024/25, down from over 20 percent in 2014/15. The fall is credited to Barnsley Hospital’s dedicated maternity stop smoking team, which offers free nicotine replacement therapy, home visits and ongoing support. The success forms part of broader local efforts to make smoking less visible and help residents quit for good.

Source: Barnsley Chronicle, 11 July 2025
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** Public health chiefs defend use of vapes to help smokers quit in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire county councillors have voiced worries about promoting vaping to help residents stop smoking, questioning potential long-term harm and whether the council could face future liability. In response, Louise Savory, the council’s associate director for healthy places and communities, stressed that vapes carry fewer harmful chemicals than cigarettes and, when combined with nicotine replacement therapy, make people three times more likely to quit. Director of public health Sarah Perman acknowledged concerns about vaping but said the council’s approach follows national clinical guidance and is regularly reviewed to balance harm, noting that continuing to smoke causes far greater health risks.

Source: Bishop’s Stortford Independent, 10 July 2025
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** Call to ban junk food sponsorship in sport to protect young people’s health

Health experts and campaigners have called for a ban on junk food companies sponsoring UK sports teams and athletes, arguing it normalises unhealthy products for children. Research from the BMJ has found over 90 active deals involving brands like Pepsi, Cadbury and Monster, which critics say gives such products an undeservedly healthy image. While the government plans to restrict TV adverts for high-fat, salt and sugar foods before 9pm from January 2026, it currently has no intention to prohibit sports sponsorships. Some experts believe a sponsorship ban alone would have limited effect, given wider issues around cheap, calorie-dense food, but agree it would help reduce mixed messages about health in sport.

Source: The Independent, 10 July 2025
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**
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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** Parliamentary
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** Written questions

Asked by Sir Julian Smith, Skipton and Ripon, Conservative

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of integrating smoking cessation services into (a) A&E, (b) mental health services and (c) lung screening.

Answered by Ashley Dalton, Public Health and Prevention Minister, West Lancashire, Labour

We are fully committed to our ambition for a smoke-free United Kingdom. Quitting smoking is one of the best things a person can do for their health, and our assessment of the evidence is that targeting people with smoking cessation support in in-patient, accident and emergency, and lung screening services can be successful.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we remain committed to ensuring all hospitals integrate smoking cessation interventions into routine care. We will also fully roll out lung cancer screening for those with a history of smoking, which we expect will detect 9,000 cancers earlier each year.

As of the end of 2024/25, 93% of National Health Service in-patient services and 97% of maternity services had a tobacco dependence treatment offer. Specifically in mental health services, there was a 41% quit rate amongst those setting a quit date in these settings.

Further to this, awards under our National Swap to Stop programme have been made to many NHS services, including mental health and accident and emergency. The programme offers smokers across England a free vape starter kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit smoking.

Source: Hansard, 10 July 2025
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** Asked by Paula Barker, Liverpool Wavertree, Labour

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) teaching bodies on using vapes in school settings.

Answered by Stephen Morgan, Minister for Early Education, Portsmouth South, Labour

In the UK, it is against the law to sell nicotine vaping products to under 18s or for adults to buy them on their behalf. Young people should not have these products in schools.

Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that sets out what is expected of all pupils, including which items are banned from school premises. School staff can search pupils for banned items as outlined in the department’s Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance.

Schools have an important role in educating pupils about the dangers of harmful substances. Primary pupils should be taught about legal and illegal harmful substances while secondary pupils are also taught about the associated legal and psychological risks. The relationships, sex and health education curriculum is currently being reviewed and will consider vaping as part of the review of the statutory guidance.

FRANK, the government-funded national drug and alcohol advisory service, has also been updated with relevant information on vapes, including the risks, physical effects and addictiveness of nicotine vapes.

Source: Hansard, 10 July 2025
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** Asked by Dr Caroline Johnson, Sleaford and North Hykeham, Conservative

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Leader of the House of Lords on the commencement date for the Committee stage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answered by Ashley Dalton, Public Health and Prevention Minister, West Lancashire, Labour

Ministers and officials from the Department are regularly in touch with their counterparts across Government. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has had its Second Reading in the House of Lords, and the Committee stage will take place when parliamentary time allows. We expect the bill to complete its passage within this parliamentary session.

Source: Hansard 10 July 2025
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** Asked by Paula Barker, Liverpool Wavertree, Labour

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the proportion of children aged 12-16 who are vaping.

Answered by Ashley Dalton, Public Health and Prevention Minister, West Lancashire, Labour

NHS England publishes estimates of the prevalence of vaping in children in the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England Survey. This survey covers children in years 7 to 11 in secondary school, the majority of whom will be aged 12 to 16 years old, although some 11 year olds will also be included.

The latest figures for England are from the 2023 survey, which showed that 5% of children were regular vapers, 4% were occasional vapers, and 25% reported having ever tried vaping. The report is available at the following link:
[link removed]

Source: Hansard, 10 July 2025
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** Asked by Jonathan Davies, Mid Derbyshire, Labour

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices have the police issued to people smoking in private vehicles in which children are present (a) in total and (b) in each year since this became an offence.

Answered by Dame Diana Johnson, Minister of State for Policing and Crime Prevention

The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and other outcomes for motoring offences in England and Wales on an annual basis, as part of the ‘Police powers and procedures: Roads policing’ statistical bulletin. The most recent data, up to 2023, is available here:
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** [link removed]
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However, data is not available on the specific offence of ‘Smoking in a vehicle in which a child was present’.

Source: Hansard, 9 July 2025
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** Links of the Week
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** ASH: Press Release – New data on vaping uncovers a public health disconnect

ASH has published new data on vaping prevalence among adults and children in Great Britain. The results show that vaping rates have stalled in the last year, with 10% of adults and 7% of 11–17-year-olds in Great Britain currently using vapes. Although youth vaping is no longer rising, rates remain worryingly high. Among adults, vapes are potentially being underutilised for smoking cessation, with over a quarter of smokers (26%) never having tried vaping, despite strong evidence it can help them quit. Public misperceptions about the harms of vaping have risen significantly: 56% of adults and 63% of young people now wrongly believe vaping is as harmful or worse than smoking, a sharp increase since 2024.

Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Executive of ASH, said:

“We are stuck in a dangerous limbo. Misconceptions about the relative harms of vaping are acting as a barrier to switching among people who smoke, meanwhile children remain exposed to products designed to appeal to them. It’s the worst of both worlds”

“Inaction by the last government, and now delays by this one, mean we’ve waited too long to act; we must urgently pass regulations to reclaim vaping as a quit aid, reduce youth access, and get the UK back on track to end smoking.”

Source: Action on Smoking and Health, 11 July 2025
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** See also: ASH Fact Sheet - Use of vapes (e-cigarettes) among adults in Great Britain ([link removed]) | ASH Fact Sheet - Use of vapes (e-cigarettes) among young people in Great Britain ([link removed])
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** Urgent call to tackle rising vaping risk misperceptions to help smokers quit

Sarah E Jackson, Katherine East, Jamie Brown and Hazel Cheeseman, CEO of ASH have written a piece in the BMJ responding to this study ‘One in 20 adults in England now smoke cigarettes and vape, study finds ([link removed]) ’. They argue that growing misconceptions about the dangers of vaping compared to smoking could undermine efforts to cut smoking-related disease and deaths. Despite clear evidence that e-cigarettes are far less harmful than tobacco, the latest data from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) show 56% of UK adults now wrongly believe vaping is at least as dangerous as smoking — up sharply from 26% in 2019. This misunderstanding is most pronounced among the 2 million “dual users” who both smoke and vape, with inaccurate beliefs rising by 79% in this group over the same period. Only 42% of dual users think vaping is less harmful, leaving an estimated 1.2 million people reluctant to switch fully from cigarettes. The authors highlight that targeted
campaigns, clearer health advice and policy changes are urgently needed to help smokers make evidence-based choices, potentially saving thousands of lives.

Source: The BMJ, 9 July 2025
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** Short expert videos shown to shift young adults’ views on vaping risks

A UK study led by researchers from Brighton and Sussex Medical School and partner institutions found that short, expert-led videos for social media can significantly correct young adults’ misunderstandings about vaping versus smoking. Among 593 participants aged 18 to 30, those who watched eight one-minute videos were over three times more likely to recognise that vaping is less harmful than smoking, compared to a control group. Researchers explain that the videos were especially effective at challenging common myths, with the strongest single video increasing accurate perceptions by nearly 14 times.

Despite these results, most viewers still saw vaping as harmful and addictive overall. Researchers recommend expanding such evidence-based content to help adults who smoke make informed choices, noting that clear, credible messaging is vital to counter rising public misperceptions about vaping’s relative risks.

Source: Brighton and Sussex Medical School, 9 July 2025

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** See also: Evaluating the impact of vaping facts films on vaping harm perceptions among young adults in the UK: A randomized on-line experiment ([link removed]) | Videos addressing vaping misconceptions ([link removed])
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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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