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** 3 October 2025
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UK


** Swindon Council highlights local woman’s success in quitting smoking (#1)
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** Forest claims poll shows that Brits are largely indifferent to Tobacco and Vapes bill (#2)
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International


** EU plan to tax tobacco and vaping products faces pushback (#3)
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** EU health chief signals move to align vape taxes with cigarettes (#4)
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** Imperial Brands to end production at German site, threatening 640 jobs (#5)
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Parliamentary activity


** Tobacco and Vapes Bill committee stage date confirmed (#6)
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** Written Questions (#7)
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Links of the week


** ASH Blog: One year on: Progress & next steps for UK tobacco control (#8)
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** Tobacco endgame: Using lessons from the UK experience to develop a knowledge toolkit for tobacco control (#9)
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** The E-Cigarette Summit UK publishes full agenda (#10)
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UK


** Swindon Council highlights local woman’s success in quitting smoking

A Swindon resident who smoked heavily for more than four decades has shared how she managed to give up cigarettes after a lung cancer diagnosis. With support from a health coach, the Smoke Free app, nicotine replacement, and a vape, she was able to stop and soon noticed benefits such as improved sleep and better oxygen levels.

Her story was published by Swindon Borough Council as part of the Stoptober campaign. The council is also promoting its Swap to Stop scheme, offering free vape starter kits, tailored advice and follow-up support.

Source: Swindon Advertiser, 3 October 2025
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Read Here ([link removed])


** Forest claims poll shows that Brits are largely indifferent to Tobacco and Vapes bill

A recent Yonder Consulting poll, conducted for Forest, found two in five adults think the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is important. When asked to rank issues based on their importance, 39% said tackling smoking was important.

Source: Convenience Store, 3 October 2025

Editorial note: Forest ([link removed]) is a British smokers’ rights group who have previously campaigned against tobacco control measures such as plain packaging and tax rises. They have previously received funding from Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International.

Annual polling by YouGov for ASH shows overwhelming support for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill across Britain. In 2024, YouGov found that 78% of GB adults supported creating a smokefree generation, compared to 7% who opposed.

See also: ASH. Support for Stopping the Start: Local retailers and the public back smokefree generation laws. ([link removed]) April 2024.
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International


** EU plan to tax tobacco and vaping products faces pushback

The European Commission is preparing to examine the health impact of newer nicotine products, with a focus on discouraging their use among young people. Alongside this, Brussels has put forward a proposal to boost the EU budget by redirecting part of member states’ tobacco tax revenues through a new mechanism known as TEDOR, expected to generate over €11 billion annually from 2028.

While Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has led calls for tougher taxation on both traditional cigarettes and alternatives such as vapes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches, the plan faces significant opposition. Fourteen governments, including those of Italy, Greece, Austria and Sweden, have already voiced resistance to the scheme.

Source: Euractiv, 3 October 2025
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** EU health chief signals move to align vape taxes with cigarettes

European Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi has said the EU intends to raise excise duties on vaping products to the same level as traditional cigarettes. The Commission’s July proposal already set higher taxes on tobacco and introduced minimum levies on vapes and nicotine pouches, with current rates ranging from 20 to 40 per cent for e-cigarettes compared with at least 63 per cent for cigarettes. Várhelyi pointed to rising youth uptake, noting that more than a quarter of young people in Czechia now vape.

Source: Politico, 2 October 2025
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** Imperial Brands to end production at German site, threatening 640 jobs

Imperial Brands has announced plans to halt manufacturing at its Langenhagen facility in Germany, affecting around 640 workers. The company said it is considering either selling the site or closing it altogether, following a review of its global operations.

The factory, which has been operating since 1971, produces cigarettes, fine-cut tobacco and heated tobacco sticks. Falling demand for traditional tobacco, high operating costs and increasing regulatory pressures were cited as reasons behind the decision. The announcement coincides with chief executive Stefan Bomhard’s departure later this month.

Source: Business Live, 1 October 2025

Editorial note: This article has been included to provide insight into market trends and industry developments.
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Parliamentary activity


** Tobacco and Vapes Bill committee stage date confirmed

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is due to progress to Committee Stage in the House of Lords from 27th October.
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** Written Questions

Asked by Kevin Hollinrake, Thirsk and Malton, Conservative

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 68411 on Electronic Cigarettes: Bus Stops, for what reason he has considered banning vaping inside pubs.

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

Whilst vapes are less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, they are not harm-free and the long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown. Vapes release an aerosol that exposes people to nicotine and potential toxicants, and it is important that we act to protect people from these potential health harms.

Many businesses and enclosed public places, including pubs, already have voluntary schemes in place to prohibit vape usage inside their premises.

We plan to consult on making most indoor settings, that are subject to existing smoke-free legislation, vape-free. We will provide stakeholders with notice of when consultation processes are due to happen.
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** Asked by Mike Wood, Kingswinford and South Staffordshire, Conservative

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 42740 on Smoking: Hospitality Industry, what his planned timetable is for the consultation on the vaping and smoking provisions in relation to outdoor public places; and what role local authorities would be expected to play in enforcement.

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

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill sets a duty to consult on a range of powers before making regulations, including vaping and smoking provisions in relation to outdoor public places. We plan to consult on these measures in due course, and we will provide stakeholders with notice of when consultation processes are due to happen.

We expect that enforcement of vaping and smoking provisions in relation to outdoor public places in England to be undertaken by the same local authority teams that enforce existing smoke-free legislation; these would typically be the environmental health teams. The exact details will be explored via future consultation processes.
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** Asked by Lord Kamall, Conservative

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the national cancer plan will (1) provide further detail on the plans to introduce opt-out smoking cessation in all routine care in hospitals, and (2) expand smoking cessation services to non-routine care settings such as accident and emergency departments.

Answered by Baroness Merron, Minister for Patient Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health, Labour

Our 10-Year Health Plan for England has set out a series of national actions to address the major risk factors associated with cancer. The National Cancer Plan, due to be published later this year, will build on the shift from sickness to prevention set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The plan will seek to reduce cancer risk factors, including smoking, and will include further detail about how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients.

The 10-Year Health Plan also committed to ensuring all hospitals integrate ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation interventions into routine care. Within their 2025/26 allocations, integrated care boards have access to funding in order to support the rollout of tobacco dependency treatment services in hospital settings, including acute and mental health inpatient settings and maternity services. Future funding decisions, including any decision to expand tobacco dependency treatment services to additional settings beyond routine care, are subject to the Spending Review process.
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** Asked by Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee

To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the report by KPMG Illicit cigarette consumption in Europe, published on 11 June, what steps they are taking towards countering illicit cigarette consumption and the rise of counterfeit and non-duty-paid goods entering the UK market.

Answered by Lord Livermore, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Labour

The Government has dedicated significant resource to tackling illicit tobacco and has set out its approach to doing so in successive strategies dating back to 2000. These strategies have been highly effective in reducing the estimated duty gap for cigarettes from 16.9% in 2005 to 10.5% in 2023/24 and for hand-rolling tobacco from 65.2% to 22.9% over the same period.

HMRC publishes annual data on seizures, criminal investigations and civil penalties related to tobacco. Between April 2023 and March 2024, HMRC and Border Force seized 1.36bn cigarettes and 92,435kg of hand-rolling tobacco.

In January 2024, HMRC and Border Force published the latest illicit tobacco strategy, ‘Stubbing Out the Problem’, setting out a continued commitment to reduce the trade in illicit tobacco with a focus on reducing demand, and to tackle and disrupt the organised crime groups behind the illicit tobacco trade. The strategy was supported by £100 million of new smokefree funding over 5 years to boost existing HMRC and Border Force enforcement capability.
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Links of the week


** ASH Blog: One year on: Progress & next steps for UK tobacco control

In this blog, ASH Chief Executive Hazel Cheeseman reflects on the progress made over the last year in UK tobacco control and priorities for the future.

Source: ASH, 1 October 2025
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Read Here ([link removed])


** Tobacco endgame: Using lessons from the UK experience to develop a knowledge toolkit for tobacco control

The European Respiratory Society (ERS) has published a report authored by ASH Chair, Professor Nick Hopkinson which sets out lessons from the UK experience of tobacco control. The report makes the case for improving the information environment across Europe, in order to accelerate progress towards a tobacco endgame that will finally eliminate the harms caused by smoking.

Source: European Respiratory Society, September 2025
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Read Here ([link removed])


** The E-Cigarette Summit UK publishes full agenda

The E-cigarette Summit UK, taking place at the Royal College of Physicians in London on December 5 2025, has published their full agenda. Early Bird rate tickets will expire on Monday, October 6. The E-Cigarette Summit provides a forum to discuss the latest science and evidence around nicotine use, vaping and smoking.
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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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