UK passes bill that will eventually ban cigarette purchases
[April 23, 2026]
LONDON (AP) — Opponents of smoking got a breath of fresh air as
Parliament passed a bill that will put cigarettes out of reach for
future generations.
“The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer
uncertain — it’s inevitable,” Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action
on Smoking and Health, said after a decades-long campaign in favor of
legislation approved Tuesday.
Children born after Dec. 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying
cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
The legislation that needs approval by King Charles III — a formality —
before taking effect will also allow the government to regulate tobacco,
vaping and nicotine products, including flavors and packaging.
It is currently illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or vapes to
people younger than 18. But most youths today will continue to face a
ban their entire life as the minimum age to buy cigarettes rises each
year.
The passage gives the U.K. one of the toughest antismoking measures in
the world. The law is similar to one New Zealand lawmakers passed in
2022, but that was repealed by a subsequent government.
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A woman smokes on a street in London on April 16, 2024. (AP
Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
 The number of people who smoke in
Britain has declined by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4
million people — or about 13% of the population — still smoke,
according to official figures.
Authorities say smoking causes some 80,000 deaths a year in the U.K,
and remains the number one preventable cause of death, disability
and poor health.
“Children in the U.K. will be part of the first smoke-free
generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” Health
Secretary Wes Streeting said.
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