Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Key Points

• - Age controls and product scope: the bill bans sales to people born on or after 1 January 2009 and, through Commons/Lords amendments, moves toward raising the sale age to 21 across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with added regulation for heated tobacco products and vaping devices.
• - Licensing and retailer registration: it establishes a national register of tobacco and nicotine retailers and a central licensing portal, plus funding for age-verification technology and tighter enforcement powers.
• - Advertising, display and packaging restrictions: tighter limits on how products are advertised, how they are displayed in shops, and the packaging/health warnings, including moves to regulate beyond traditional tobacco to related devices and products.
• - Public health and environmental oversight: provisions for quarterly sales data, a Youth Vaping and Waste Impacts Taskforce, and reporting requirements to track impact, with potential levies or funding to support cessation and public-health programmes.
• - Enforcement and transitional protections: new penalties and enforcement tools (including potential fixed penalties in some jurisdictions), plus transitional protections for specialist tobacconists, and cross-border considerations under the Windsor Framework for Northern Ireland.

Progress

The bill is in the Lords, currently considering Commons amendments and reasons. Lords amendments have added significant tightening—especially on age, licensing, and data transparency—while some stricter proposals (e.g., bans on certain high-capacity devices or plastic filters) were not carried. The next step is for the Lords to resolve differences with the Commons before final passage and royal assent.