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Tory Steve Barclay to stub out plan to make Britain tobacco free by 2030
Health Secretary Steve Barclay is to stub out a plan to make the country tobacco free by 2030 - ending hopes of saving an extra 500,000 lives.
Whitehall sources say he is abandoning the scheme to raise the legal age for buying tobacco one year every year until no-one was able to buy cigarettes at all.
It means the tobacco sale age will stay at 18 which anti-smoking campaigners say is a missed opportunity to cut smoking in young people by a third.
Deborah Arnott of Action on Smoking and Health said: “Any government worth its salt wouldn’t drop the Smokefree 2030 target. This is a failure of imagination and loss of nerve by a government clearly on its last legs.”
Ms Arnott favours an age increase to 21 which she says would reduce smoking in the 18-21 age group by 30%.
Smoking causes 75,000 deaths in England a year and costs the NHS £2.4 billion.
Tory MP Bob Blackman, chair of the all-party group on Smoking and Health, said: “Watering down our tobacco strategy would be hugely counterproductive when the Government is trying to reduce NHS waiting lists.
Source: The Mirror, 10 December 2022
See also: The Khan Review- Making Smoking Obsolete
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Opinion: Whatever happened to the Conservatives’ “war on cancer”?
Writing in the New Statesman, Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, questions whether improving cancer survival rates is still a priority for this government. Mitchell writes that in February of this year Sajid Javid declared a “war on cancer” which aimed to improve research, boost the cancer workforce and tackle inequalities. Mitchell writes that nine months later and there has been no strategy, no plan and no funding.
Mitchell goes on to say that over the last 40 years cancer survival rates have doubled. But there is still much work to be done and she points to the fact that targets for cancer waiting times are missed each month and that plans to bring these waits down by 2025 are at risk according to a report by the National Audit Office.
Mitchell states that “Preventing cancer in the first place must be a priority.” She highlights the Khan Review on making smoking obsolete and says the government urgently need to accept its recommendations, as well as taking bold action on obesity to help us live healthier lives and reduce the rates of cancer.
Mitchell concludes by saying it makes financial sense to make sure that the NHS is equipped for the challenges of the future and that it makes moral sense to make sure those affected by cancer are given the support they deserve.
Source: The New Statemen, 8 December 2022
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Huddersfield: Illegal vapes and cigarettes seized
A joint operation with Trading Standards led to the seizure of 28,000 illegal cigarettes, 1,519 oversize vapes and a quantity of shisha tobacco.
The illicit goods were found at four premises in the town during a day of action earlier this month.
West Yorkshire Police said the sale of such items was often used to fund organised crime.
Sgt Amanda Holroyd, from Kirklees Town Centre Partnership, described it as "a blight on communities”
“It is important we do all we can to cut off sources of funding for serious criminality," she added.
Linda Davis, West Yorkshire Trading Standards Manager said: "The illegal trade in tobacco products makes it easier for children to start smoking, takes advantage of cash-strapped families, and helps fund organised crime."
Source: BBC news, 10 December 2022
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Consultation period launched on advertising products high in fat, salt and sugar
The Government has launched a consultation on draft legislation to introduce further advertising restrictions on TV and online for products high in fat, salt or sugar. The consultation closes on the 31 March.
Source: GOV.UK, 9 December 2022
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