This week the UK parliament, to my surprise, managed to agree to legislation that will mean that the age for smoking will go up year after year, so that no child of 15 today will ever be able to legally purchase cigarettes. 

No mention of that applying to child vaping which is included in the tobacco acts.?

I am trying to image in 25 years time, a thirty year old trying to buy tobacco products, without an ID, in a small local corner shop, with only one young member of staff on duty!! 

There has only been a tiny number of people ever prosecuted for selling tobacco products to under 18’s, in the last 25 years. I cannot believe that putting the age for purchase up each year, is enforceable, because we do not have enough Consumer Protection Officers to monitor it, and it will be a low priority for the police. 

Over 60 Conservative MP’s and some ministers voted against this, using the adults the right to do what they want card, which may seem reasonable, but considering that smoking delivers £1 billion a year in tax and duty to the treasury, but it costs the NHS £17 billion a year, and rising.

PM Sunak’s headline grabbing attempt, to con us into believing that he is serious about making the UK smoke free in 25 years time, should be seen for what it is. A dying government, kicking a difficult issues into the long grass, for at the next government to address.