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News and Events | October 2025
Some weekend reading ... beginning with a reminder that Forest and the TaxPayers Alliance are co-hosting a fringe meeting in the Think Tent at the Conservative Party conference on Monday 6th October.
Broadcaster Duncan Barkes is chairing an 'in conversation' style event featuring Jack Rankin MP, the TPA's Joanna Marchong, and Simon Clark, director of Forest.
Jack is the Conservative member of parliament for Windsor. He was a member of the public bill committee that examined the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the House of Commons, following which he wrote an article for The Spectator – The Tobacco Bill shows how we Tories lost our way ([link removed]) . It's behind a paywall but do read it if you can.
And if you're minded to dig a little deeper, see Blue on blue differences on tobacco and vapes highlight Tory divisions ([link removed]) .
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Tobacco bill not important to most Brits
Prior to the committee stage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the House of Lords later this month, we will be revealing the results of a series of polls we commissioned in August and September. Conducted by Yonder Consulting for Forest, they explore public opinion on a range of issues that are relevant to both the bill and, more generally, government policy on smoking.
Significantly, when asked to rate the importance of ten government bills that are currently progressing through parliament, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill came a lowly ninth. 71% of respondents said the Crime and Policing Bill was the most important, followed by the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill (69%), and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (68%).
The least important bills, according to the survey of over 2,000 adults, were the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was rated important by only two in five adults (42%), and the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill which fared even worse (28%).
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Another poll invited respondents to think about government priorities and rate ten issues according to their importance. As you can see (above), improving the health service was rated important by 88% of respondents, 87% said addressing the cost of living, and 80% said care for the elderly.
These issues were followed in order of importance by national security (79%), the housing crisis (75%), and tackling illegal immigration (74%).
In contrast, only two in five respondents (39%) said tackling smoking was important, and of those only 17% said tackling smoking was very important.
The Guido Fawkes website reported the story here (Labour smoking ban under fire ([link removed]) ) and you can also read about it in the trade magazine Convenience Store – Poll reveals proposed tobacco bill unimportant to most Brits ([link removed]) .
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-High excise duty drives black market tobacco-
In Ireland, where cigarettes are already more expensive than any other country in Europe (including the UK, although it's a close call), smokers are set to be hit by yet another tax increase when Budget 2026 is announced on Tuesday (October 7).
Like the UK, one of the factors driving the price of tobacco in Ireland is excise duty, so last week Forest Ireland urged finance minister Paschal Donohoe to freeze the duty on tobacco, noting that “Another tax hike will encourage more smokers to buy even more tobacco on the black market because there is very little stigma attached to it. For most people, including non-smokers, it is understandable given the punitive levels of tobacco duty in Ireland.”
Our comments were based on a poll conducted by iReach for Forest that found that 79% of adults agree that it is ‘understandable’ that smokers might choose to buy cigarettes from the black market or abroad where tobacco is often significantly cheaper than in Ireland. Significantly, that view was supported by 91% of smokers and 76% of non-smokers.
If excise duty is increased in the Budget, 32% of smokers in Ireland said they would buy more tobacco products when abroad including duty free in the UK; 13% would buy more tobacco on the black market; and 10% said they would buy more tobacco from other sources, including friends, who are not legitimate retailers.
In the event of another tax hike, only 22% of smokers said they would most likely buy legal tobacco products from legitimate retailers in Ireland.
See:
Campaigners request tobacco duty freeze ahead of Budget 2026 ([link removed]) (Checkout)
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-Prohibition and cigarettes: a cautionary tale-
A leading article in the current issue of Tobacco Asia magazine addresses a curious paradox. ‘The harder governments push bans and taxes, the more alluring cigarettes become.’
‘Prohibition,’ writes associate editor Nattira Medvedeva, ‘historically glamorizes what it attempts to suppress, and today’s regulatory overreach is no different - producing forbidden appeal rather than genuine deterrence.’
We couldn't agree more and it’s refreshing to read this in a leading tobacco industry magazine. It also reflects what Forest has been saying for many years.
The September/October issue of Tobacco Asia also features an article, ‘Excise Taxes and the Global Surge in Illicit Tobacco: A Cautionary Tale’, that includes a quote from Forest. Click here ([link removed]) to download the full feature.
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-Life's a beach-
Smoking on the beach has been back in the news recently. Last month, in East Sussex, following voluntary bans on Camber Sands and Bexhill beach, the local council announced another voluntary ban, this time on Pevensey Bay beach.
To put this in perspective, Bexhill beach is two miles long, Camber Sands almost five miles, and Pevensey Bay stretches for 5.6 miles. Good luck enforcing a ban, voluntary or otherwise, on those wide open spaces!
Following an interview on BBC Radio Sussex, the BBC News website reported our reaction here – Voluntary smoking ban set to be trialled on beach ([link removed]) :
Simon Clark from smokers' rights organisation Forest said the ban was "absolutely absurd". He said there was "simply no evidence" that smoking in the open air poses a risk to anyone else's health.
Then, ten days ago, an environmental group called for similar action on beaches in Guernsey. This time our response was reported by the Guernsey Post (Beach smoking ban ‘would be a massive overreaction’ ([link removed]) ) and BBC Guernsey (Campaign group calls beach smoking ban idea unfair ([link removed]) ).
Speaking to the BBC, we called for more cigarette bins to be provided and encouraged smokers to carry a pocket ashtray so they can take their cigarette butts home. Do you agree?
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-And finally ... from the archive-
"The best day of my working life" is how Forest director Simon Clark describes the appearance of David Hockney at a fringe meeting organised by Forest at the Labour Party conference in Brighton almost exactly 20 years ago.
It was a day that began with Britain's greatest living artist appearing on BBC Breakfast with a poster that read 'Death awaits you even if you don't smoke'. A few minutes later he was on the Today programme on Radio 4 complaining that politicians who supported a workplace smoking ban were "absolutely dreary" and "too bossy".
Arriving on the south coast a few hours later it's fair to say he took the conference by storm and his appearance at the Forest fringe event was the talk of the town. For the full story see: On this day ... 20 years ago ([link removed]) .
See also: Hockney leads smoking ban protest ([link removed]) (BBC News)
Hockney says Labour smoking ban will ‘destroy Bohemia’ ([link removed]) (The Times)
Hockney blows smoke on Labour's plan to ban tobacco ([link removed]) (Independent)
Artist David Hockney reignites smoking ban debate ([link removed]) (Guardian)
David Hockney in Brighton, September 28, 2005. Photo: Alamy
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