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What do the UK Political Parties Say about Vaping in their Manifestos?

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Since the government announced the general election earlier this year, vape retailers and vapers alike have been wondering whether all parties will still implement the proposed Disposable Vape Ban and Tobacco & Vapes bill. Many policies will influence your vote, and vaping won't be the most critical issue for most. However, if vaping regulations are enough to sway your vote, then this blog post could be helpful in making your decision.

We waited until all manifestos launched; now that they're available to the public, we've compiled all the relevant information you need to know into this detailed blog post. Continue reading to learn each party's stance on tobacco and vapes.

Contents

Labour

'Prevention will always be better, and cheaper, than a cure. So, we must take preventative public health measures to tackle the biggest killers and support people to live longer, healthier lives. That starts with smoking. Labour will ensure the next generation can never legally buy cigarettes and ensure all hospitals integrate 'opt-out' smoking cessation interventions into routine care. Labour will ban vapes from being branded and advertised to appeal to children to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.'

The Labour Party manifesto addresses vaping within the broader context of public health. The party is committed to maintaining a solid regulatory framework for vaping products to ensure they are safe and effective as tools for helping smokers quit traditional cigarettes. Labour supports measures to restrict the marketing of vaping products to prevent the appeal to young people and non-smokers, eliminating initiation into nicotine use. They also plan to ban the use of disposable vapes completely and to illegalise the sale of traditional cigarettes to the next generation. Labour wants to ensure all hospitals integrate opt-out smoking cessation methods into routine care.

Even though Labour has not officially stated this in its manifesto, it sounds like it would essentially continue with the Vapes and Tobacco Bill brought forth by Sunak's government.

Read the Labour Manifesto here

Conservatives

'We will bring forward our landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill in our first King's Speech.'

The Conservatives are sticking to their original plan of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill by banning single-use vapes and the sale of cigarettes to people born after 2009. This bill does include many other things, such as illegalising the advertising of vapes, eliminating fruit flavours, and hiding them from shop counter displays; however, this is yet to be confirmed in the King's Speech if the Tories win, of course.

Read the Conservatives Manifesto here

Liberal Democrats

'Introducing regulations to halt the dangerous use of vapes by children while recognising their role in smoking cessation for adults, and banning the sale of single-use vapes. Introducing a new levy on tobacco company profits to help fund healthcare and smoking cessation services.'

The Lib Dems have taken a slightly different approach. They still want to implement a single-use vape ban alongside other regulations to deter children from vaping; however, they recognise that vapes are an effective smoking cessation tool for adults. As a result, they're looking more towards imposing a levy on tobacco giants to help fund healthcare and stop smoking services. This levy is an ideal way of regulating the craze behind tobacco and vapes, as they're focusing on the root cause of the issue.

According to other related articles, it also seems as though they would tackle the vaping issue among children by introducing plain packaging and advertising limitations alongside the banning of single-use vapes.

Read the Liberal Democrats Manifesto here

Green

Surprisingly, Green hasn't mentioned anything about the disposable vape ban or the Vapes and Tobacco bill in their manifesto. One of the main factors that sparked the single-use vape ban discourse was the environmental aspect, and I think the Green Party would've been for this ban.

Read the Green Manifesto here

Reform

Again, Reform hasn't mentioned the bill or the ban in its manifesto; however, this is not shocking—it's safe to say that Reform has completely different concerns.

Read the Reform Manifesto here

By Rona Recica

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