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Richmond’s stop-smoking efforts bring borough close to smoke-free goal
Richmond-upon-Thames has achieved one of the lowest smoking rates among English local authorities, with a smoking rate of 5.3%. The progress has been attributed to sustained council funding for local cessation services and participation in the ‘Swap to Stop’ scheme that helps smokers switch to vaping with tailored behavioural support.
Councillor Piers Allen emphasised the role of vaping as a harm-reduction tool. Data shows that 58% of people who used Richmond’s stop smoking services have successfully quit. The council are now working on a targeted approach focusing on groups where smoking is more prevalent.
Source: Teddington Nub News, 26 January 2026
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NHS England to trial AI and robotics to improve lung cancer detection
NHS England is launching a pilot scheme using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotic-assisted tools to enhance the detection and diagnosis of lung cancer. The initiative, running at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, will analyse scans with AI. The programme aims to enable earlier diagnosis and treatment, potentially reducing the need for repeat scans or invasive procedures. The trial coincides with the Government pledge to offer lung cancer screening to all smokers and former smokers by 2030.
Source: The Guardian, 27 January 2026
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Proposed alcohol labels trigger backlash from industry
Proposed changes to alcohol labelling in the UK have prompted backlash among the alcohol and hospitality industry. Ministers are consulting with manufacturers and trade groups on the proposals to display clearer health information on alcoholic products, as part of wider efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm.
Industry representatives claim the proposals could increase costs, complicate production and weaken demand. Government officials have requested data on the effects of labelling proposals, however stress that discussions are at an early stage and that no final approach has been agreed.
Public health advocates argue stronger labelling would improve consumer understanding and counter the influence of industry lobbying. Dr Katherine Severi, Chief Executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: “Public awareness of risks like cancer remains low, while support for clear alcohol labelling is high.”
Source: Financial Times, 26 January 2026
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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Opinion: Ending duty-free tobacco sales would strengthen public health and public finances
Writing in The Conversation, Janet Hoek, Professor in Public Health at University of Otago, Robert Branston, Senior Lecturer in Business Economics at the University of Bath, and Philip Gendall, Honorary Senior research Fellow in Marketing at the University of Otago argue that allowing duty-free tobacco sales at airports is incompatible with New Zealand’s long-standing efforts to reduce smoking and its harms. While higher tobacco prices have been central to falling smoking rates and narrower health inequities, duty-free outlets continue to offer heavily discounted tobacco products, reducing the impact of excise policy.
The authors contend that duty-free prices not only encourage continued consumption but also drains tens of millions of dollars from government revenue that could otherwise support health services. The authors note that 2014 reductions in duty-free allowances in New Zealand (from 200 cigarettes to 50) helped but did not resolve the underlying contradiction between smokefree ambitions and subsidised tobacco prices.
The authors conclude that removing duty-free tobacco or applying full taxes would be a simple, low-cost reform. It would reinforce price-based deterrence, better align policy with international health commitments, and redirect funds towards health services.
Source: The Conversation, 26 January 2026
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Data shows tobacco is a key driver of travel retail growth in Europe
This article reports that the tobacco category was the fastest growing category in the European travel market during 2025. New data from the ETRC Business Index indicated that tobacco generated 1.5 billion euros in sales, accounting for 19.9% of the whole market. The figures suggest tobacco outperformed most other segments in terms of growth, with 12.9% year-on-year growth.
Source: DFNI Frontier, 23 January 2026
Editorial note: This article has been included to provide insight into market trends and industry developments.
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Study links smoking to more severe and persistent long Covid symptoms
New research from Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Medicine suggests that smoking may increase both the likelihood and severity of long Covid. Drawing on a large national survey in Japan of 34,000 participants, the study found that people who currently smoke were more likely than non-smokers to experience ongoing symptoms months after infection, including shortness of breath, chest discomfort, joint pain and changes to sense of smell.
The analysis compared non-smokers with former smokers and those who currently smoke cigarettes, use heated tobacco products, or use both. The findings indicate dual users tend to report more symptoms.
The researchers argue the results highlight smoking as a potentially modifiable risk factor for long Covid, and say further work is needed to understand cause and effect.
Source: The Independent, 26 January 2026
See also: Toyokura, E., Yamada, K., Asai, K. et al. Dual use of combustible and heated tobacco products associates persistent symptoms with a history of COVID-19: a JASTIS 2023 cross sectional study. Sci Rep 15, 38659 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-22050-x
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The Netherlands: Incentives trialled to help pregnant people stop smoking
The Netherlands have launched a pilot initiative scheme that aims to reduce smoking during pregnancy by combining behavioural support with financial incentives. Under the scheme, vouches are awarded for sustained periods without smoking, after studies of this model in Britain showed positive results. The pilot includes expectant mothers and their partners, and its outcomes will help determine whether the approach becomes part of standard healthcare provision.
Source: Dutch News, 26 January 2026
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Written Answers
Asked by Ruth Jones, Labour, Newport West and Islwyn
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what conversations he has had with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that enforcement against non-compliant vaping products will be effectively coordinated once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is enacted.
Answered by Ashley Dalton, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Labour, West Lancashire
Officials in the Department of Health and Social Care regularly meet with officials from other departments, including HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, the Office for Product Safety and Standards, Border Force, and the Home Office, as well as National Trading Standards, to share intelligence and ensure a coordinated approach to the enforcement of our rules on vaping products. This coordinated approach to enforcement will continue once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill becomes law.
Furthermore, in 2025/26, we are investing £30 million of new funding in total for enforcement agencies including Trading Standards, Border Force, and HM Revenue and Customs, to tackle the illicit and underage sale of tobacco and vapes, and to help enforce the law. As part of this, the Government is investing £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 in Trading Standards. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by hiring 94 apprentices across England.
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Asked by Ruth Jones, Labour, Newport West and Islwyn
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the a) registration scheme and b) testing regime enabled by the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be applied effectively to i) online and ii) distance sales of vaping products, including those supplied by overseas sellers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Labour, West Lancashire
The future registration scheme will apply to all products sold in the United Kingdom, including distance sales and those sold online, regardless of their origin. The scheme will be designed to ensure the highest level of consumer safety and to reassure retailers that they are selling legitimate products. This will support enforcement and build an evidence base on the types of products entering the UK market.
The details of the registration scheme and testing requirements will be subject to consultation. We launched a call for evidence in October 2025 which sought further detail on the existing product notification schemes and where registration could go further than current requirements, including testing requirements. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses. We will consult on policy proposals based on the evidence provided in due course.
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Asked by Ruth Jones, Labour, Newport West and Islwyn
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of whether Trading Standards services currently have sufficient a) staffing, b) technical capability, and c) funding to enforce the new i) registration and ii) testing regime for vaping products proposed in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill from the point of commencement.
Answered by Ashley Dalton, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Labour, West Lancashire
In 2025/26, we are investing £30 million of new funding for enforcement agencies, including Trading Standards, Border Force, and HM Revenue and Customs, to tackle the illicit and underage sale of tobacco and vapes and help enforce the law. As part of this, the Government is investing £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 in Trading Standards. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by hiring 94 new apprentices across England. This will build a workforce tailored to our requirements and increase Trading Standards’ capacity to enforce the new measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Once established, the new product registration system will support enforcement agencies, giving Trading Standards better information to help them remove non-compliant products from the shelves quickly and efficiently. This will also give retailers greater confidence that the products they stock and sell are lawful.
We launched a call for evidence in October 2025 which sought further detail on the existing product notification schemes and where registration could go further than current requirements, including testing requirements and fees. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses. We will consult on policy proposals based on the evidence provided in due course.
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Asked by Jim Shannon, DUP, Strangford
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 22 December 2025 to question 99733, whether his Department has conducted analysis of the drivers for the 121,506 hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2024-25; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of improved outpatient and secondary care management on reducing avoidable admissions.
Answered by Karin Smyth, Minister for Secondary Care, Labour, Bristol South
The Department has not conducted a specific assessment of the drivers of hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for 2024/25. In general, COPD is commonly worsened by smoking, occupational exposure, and poor air quality, and exacerbations are often triggered by respiratory infections including flu, pneumococcal disease, and COVID 19.
There are a range of measures in place to help reduce preventable COPD admissions. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill represents the most significant public health intervention since the 2007 indoor smoking ban and will support our ambition for a smokefree United Kingdom. The Department is also working across Government to tackle air pollution and address poor housing conditions including damp and mould. The National Health Service is running winter vaccination campaigns against key respiratory infections including COVID-19, flu and pneumococcal disease, which can trigger COPD. Further, pulmonary rehabilitation is a proven intervention that improves symptoms and reduces hospital admissions for people with COPD. NHS England’s commissioning standards ensure services are high quality, equitable, and reduce health inequalities.
More broadly, our 10-Year Health plan sets out the new neighbourhood health model to expand urgent care at home and in the community, which will reduce unnecessary hospital visits and admissions, thereby improving patient experience. To enable this, and deliver faster diagnosis and earlier access to treatment, access to spirometry tests in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is growing and will continue to do so as more sites come online. The first five months of 2025/26 saw an increase in CDC spirometry testing of approximately 2,000 tests per month more than in the previous year.
Regarding readmissions, the information is not publicly available in the format requested. NHS England publishes annual data on the total number of readmissions in England within 30 days for 2024/25, but this is not broken down by diagnosis. This information can be found at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/compendium-emergency-readmissions/current
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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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