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Smoking kills and costs the NHS a fortune every year. By the 1990s, the harms caused by tobacco cigarettes were known and moves to reduce both the number of people smoking in the UK and the impact of secondhand smoke were underway.
In 1998, the Government issued a White Paper entitled Smoking Kills. This proposed an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) to supplement the Health and Safety and Work Act 1974 (HASAW) to protect workers from secondhand smoke. The code included an opt-out for the hospitality trade, which became known as the Public Places Charter. It was a voluntary scheme aimed at encouraging hospitality venues such as restaurants and pubs to improve provision for nonsmokers and also overall air quality.
It transpired that compliance with the initiative was poor.
In 2004, the Government published a further White Paper which proposed to end smoking in workplaces and public places. The resulting Health Bill was implemented July 2007.
2007 was also the year when e-cigarettes first became available in the UK. The arrival of an effective smoking cessation method and the new legislation then saw the number of smokers in the UK start to fall significantly.
The Smokefree Action Coalition is a group of diverse organisationsthat wish to contribute to reducing the harm caused by tobacco smoke. The coalition has brought together more than 300 organisations across the UK. They campaign individually and collectively for the nation to be smokefree by 2030.
A smokefree nation is one where smoking is not normalised in society. Smokefree does not mean a total ban on smoking or a time when there are no smokers at all. It means that a crucial point has been reached when a totoally smoke-free country is a realistic proposition. The Government defines this as the point when less than 5% of the population are smokers.
Smoking is more prevalent amongst the poorest members of our society. This means that social inequalities, including those related to health, are exacerbated by smoking. Smokers are far more likely that the general population to die prematurely and to suffer years of ill-health.
While smoking rates have now dropped considerably amongst the more affluent members of our society, they remain frustratingly high amongst the poorest communities. Both the government and the Smokefree Action Coalition are seeking to narrow the gap between the life experiences of the richest and the poorest.
This was a UK government bill aimed at creating a "smokefree generation" by banning the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.
The bill passed its three readings in the House of Commons between November 2024 and March 2025, and three in the House of Lords between March 2025 and March 2026. Following consideration of amendments and Royal Assent, the age restrictions on tobacco sales will take effect on 1 January 2027.
The UK will almost certainly become a smokefree nation but later than the target date of 2030.