Sunak could ban cigarettes in the UK for future generations, The Guardian reports

Sept 22 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering introducing measures that would ban the next generation from buying cigarettes, The Guardian reported on Friday, citing government sources.

Sunak is watching anti-smoking measures similar to laws New Zealand announced last year, which include a ban on selling tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, according to the report.

“We want to encourage more people to quit smoking and meet our ambition to be smoke-free by 2030, which is why we have already taken steps to reduce smoking rates,” a British government spokesperson said in an emailed response. email to Reuters.

Those measures include free vaping kits, a coupon scheme to encourage pregnant women to quit smoking and consultations on mandatory package inserts for cigarettes, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson declined to comment further on the Guardian report.

The policies under consideration are part of a new consumer-focused campaign by Sunak’s team ahead of the election due next year, according to the report.

Britain announced in May that close a loophole which allows retailers to give free vaporizer samples to children in a fight against e-cigarettes.

Separately, in July councils in England and Wales asked the government to ban the sale of single use vaporizers by 2024 for both environmental and health reasons.

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