Tobacco and Vapes: Packaging, Appearance and Display
House of Commons · Written Statements · 13 Jul 2026 · 1 speech · Official Report
The UK Government have published our consultation “Tobacco and Vapes: packaging, appearance and display” on behalf of all four nations of the UK. A copy will be deposited in the Library of the House. People deserve to live in a fairer UK, where everyone lives well for longer. The 10-year health plan for England sets out our ambitious plans to shift the dial from sickness to prevention. As part of this, we are committed to creating a smoke-free UK and protecting future generations from the harms of tobacco and risks of nicotine addiction. This consultation is the next step in delivering on our commitments. Tobacco is a uniquely harmful product and there is no safe level of consumption. Smoking remains the single biggest preventable cause of ill health, disability and death in England and costs the country £21.3 billion per year. While vaping is less harmful than tobacco products and can be an effective way for adult smokers to quit, they are not risk-free. The long-term health impacts of these products remain unknown. For these reasons, the Government advice is clear: children, and adult non-smokers should never vape. It is therefore deeply concerning that, as of 2025, around 20% of 11 to 17-year-olds-over 1 million children-had tried vaping. Evidence suggests that vapes appeal to children for many reasons, including packaging, product appearance, flavours and being easy to access. There are also growing concerns about the appeal of nicotine products, such as nicotine...