Tobacco and vaping

The assessments of the policy area on this page were based on a snapshot of progress on 20 July 2026 and do not reflect more recent announcements. 

Lead departments 

• Department of Health and Social Care 
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport 
• HM Treasury 

Why it matters to health 

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in England. Each year, it causes around 70,000 deaths and costs society £44.8bn through health and social care costs and lost productivity. While smoking rates have declined, they remain disproportionately high among people in deprived areas, those with mental health conditions, and routine and manual workers. 

Reducing smoking is critical to improving population health and reducing inequalities. 

Labour’s commitments 

Labour’s 2024 manifesto backed stronger tobacco control measures:  

• delivering a smokefree generation through age-restricted tobacco sales 
• action on youth vaping 
• increased investment in prevention  
• ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation support in hospitals. 

Status of this policy area 

Smoking policy is one of the strongest areas of the government’s prevention agenda, combining legislative action, fiscal measures and cessation support. However, important questions remain around delivery and reducing inequalities. The last Conservative government introduced a Tobacco and Vapes Bill to create a smokefree generation. But it could not pass it before the 2024 General Election.  

• Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026: The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 delivered the previous Conservative government’s commitment to create a smokefree generation by progressively raising the tobacco age of sale. Building on the earlier ban on disposable vapes, the Act also strengthened the regulation of vaping and nicotine products, through: 
  • a planned ban on advertising and sponsorship from June 2027 
  • powers to regulate vape contents, flavours, packaging and displays 
  • new powers enabling the extension of smokefree regulations, on which there was a consultation in spring 2026 – this is less far reaching than an earlier proposal to cover outdoor hospitality venues  
  • the introduction of retailer licensing. 
• Tax: The tobacco duty escalator has been retained, increasing tobacco tax by the Retail Price Index plus 2% each year. The new Vaping Products Duty, from 1 October 2026, aims to reduce youth vaping while maintaining a financial incentive for smokers to switch to vaping. Further work is needed to make sure all tobacco products are comprehensively taxed, that tax keeps pace with market developments and that opportunities for tax avoidance are minimised. 
• Funding and services: The government has doubled funding  fundingfor stop-smoking services and enforcement. However, it remains unclear whether this level of funding will be sustained. Further, the commitment to embed smoking cessation support in hospitals has not been widely adopted. 
• Health inequalities: Further reductions in the prevalence of smoking will require targeted approaches for populations with higher smoking rates and more complex needs. The government has set an ambition to reduce smoking rates to 0%. However, there is no published plan for supporting the 5 million people who currently smoke to quit.