Smuggling gangs likely to capitalise on tobacco bill, experts say Politics As the Lords debate Labour’s tobacco and vapes Bill, experts have warned it could hand a major victory to the same organised criminal gangs behind illegal smuggling. Labour’s proposed Bill, which started the committee stage at the House of Lords on Monday, would create a generational ban on tobacco sales and implement stricter regulations on [...]
Majority of Brits reject Labour’s ‘nanny state’ policies Politics A majority of Brits reject ‘nanny state’ measures from Labour to control “unhealthy” lifestyle choices stating they have more trust in themselves than the government. Fresh polling from the Adam Smith Institute shows six in ten Brits do not support the government having much control over adults’ health and personal decisions. It comes after the [...]
Brussels’ tobacco ban risks fuelling illegal immigration Opinion A proposed EU tobacco tax hike risks fuelling organised crime, illicit trade, and people smuggling across Europe and into the UK, says Tom Pursglove Recent headlines suggest that up to 50,000 illegal migrants could cross the Channel this year – a figure that provokes a palpable sense of dread amongst the British public. People have [...]
London’s beloved corner shops can’t survive more red tape April 15, 2025 Red tape, business rates and vape bans are at risk of pushing corner shops to the brink, writes Andrew Boff.
MPs to vote on smoking ban bill and ‘harmful’ vape sales aimed at children November 26, 2024 MPs are to vote on a landmark smoking bill which would raise the legal tobacco purchasing age and clamp down on “harmful” childhood vaping. Parliament will have its first debate on the measures in the proposed new law, followed by a vote in the House of Commons later today, in what’s known as the ‘second [...]
Starmer’s illiberal smoking restrictions are just the start August 29, 2024 Freedom cannot be entirely indexed to smoking, but an administration’s approach to tackling it says a lot about how they plan to govern, says Joseph Dinnage Imagine you and your colleagues have just finished a day of graft on the trading floor and you’re all looking to relax. What to do? You all rightly decide [...]
Outdoor pub smoking ban would cause ‘serious economic harm’ to UK hospitality August 29, 2024 A possible smoking ban in outdoor spaces of pubs, bars and restaurants in the UK is likely to do more harm than good, leading trade figures have warned. The ban would make it illegal to smoke in pubs, outdoor restaurants and open-air spaces in nightclubs, according to leaked documents seen by The Sun, in a [...]
Let’s be honest, young adults should be free to make their own choices May 30, 2024 From smoking bans to national service, depriving young adults of basic freedoms is a growing trend among policy makers, says Matthew Lesh Growing up we were told a straightforward story about how to succeed: try hard at school, get into university or some sort of training, find work in a relevant field, save for a [...]