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People who are now 17 or younger will never be able to buy tobacco, according to the law backed by the UK Parliament.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Published On 22 Apr 2026<\/span>22 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A new bill approved in the United Kingdom\u2019s legislature will stop people born on or after January 1, 2009 from buying tobacco during their whole lives, as part of a years-long effort by ministers to create a \u201csmoke-free generation\u201d.<\/p>\n Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the House of Commons in 2024, aiming to protect public health and reduce the harm caused by smoking.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n \u201cThis is a historic moment for the nation\u2019s health as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill ends its journey through Parliament,\u201d Streeting said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cPrevention is better than cure. This reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain. Children in the UK will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The bill will become law when it receives a royal assent next week. Once it does, ministers will also have new powers to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including their flavours and packaging. They will also be able to ban nicotine products from being branded and advertised to children.<\/p>\n Vaping will also be prohibited in playgrounds, cars with children inside, outside schools and hospitals, in an effort to expand smoke-free zones across the UK.<\/p>\n Baroness Gillian Merron, parliamentary undersecretary of state at the Department of Health and Social Care, told the Lords on Monday: \u201cIt is, in fact, the biggest public health intervention in a generation and I can assure all noble Lords it will save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n The smoking ban was first introduced in 2023 by the then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak\u2019s Conservative government, as he planned to raise the legal age for buying tobacco by a year every year, so that eventually no one could buy tobacco.<\/p>\n The plan was put aside before the 2024 general election, and later revived by the Labour government.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
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