British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering introducing measures for people in the UK that would ban the next generation from ever being able to buy cigarettes. This information was first reported by The Guardian on Friday (Sept 22), citing government sources.
The prime minister is looking at anti-smoking measures similar to laws New Zealand announced last year, which include a ban on selling tobacco to anyone born on or after Jan 1, 2009, the report said.
“We want to encourage more people to quit 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 to Reuters.
Those measures include free vape kits, a voucher scheme to incentivize pregnant women to quit, and consulting on mandatory cigarette pack inserts, the spokesperson added on Friday.
The spokesperson declined to comment further on The Guardian latest report.
The policies under consideration are part of a new consumer-focused drive from Sunak’s team before next year’s expected election, the report said.