UK doctors to government: ‘Make the tobacco industry pay’

More than 200 UK doctors, professional groups, and advocacy organisations are calling on the UK government to commit to anti-smoking policies and funding, amid concerns that the new Labour government could soften its approach.

In an open letter published in the BMJ, signatories urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, which took office in July, to “make the tobacco industry pay” when it announces its new budget on October 30, which will set spending priorities for the coming year.

Those who signed the letter want the government to preserve anti-smoking plans that were introduced by the previous conservative leadership, such as crackdowns on black market sales and financial incentives to help pregnant smokers quit.

They also want dedicated long-term funding for these programmes, as well as commitment of at least £10 million (€12 million) over the next five years for anti-smoking efforts in lower-income countries.

“The budget is an opportunity to set a course for a smoke-free country and cement our place as a world leader on tobacco control – government should seize it,” said Dr Sanjay Agrawal, the Royal College of Physicians’ special adviser on tobacco.

Smoking is one of the top causes of preventable death worldwide, killing about 75,000 people in the UK and 8 million people globally every year.

Across the UK, 11.9 per cent of adults – 6 million people – smoke cigarettes, and excluding Northern Ireland, about 5.1 million people use e-cigarettes every day.

Between productivity losses, health and social care, and other factors, smoking costs the UK about £93 billion (€111.6 billion) per year, including £13.5 billion (€16.2 billion) in public finances.

“The status quo is unacceptable, and we need a bold and far-reaching package of measures to consign smoking to history,” said Dr Charmaine Griffiths, head of the British Heart Foundation.

Labour leaders have already said they will reintroduce a bill that would ban anyone born after January 2009 from buying cigarettes and are reportedly considering a ban on smoking at some outdoor venues, including pub gardens and restaurant terraces.

How to pay for anti-smoking programmes

Even so, the group is worried that funding for tobacco control initiatives could be cut from £30 million (€36 million) to “more than £20 million” (€24 million) per year in the new budget.

“Investment in reducing smoking pays dividends for the public finances and underinvestment is a missed opportunity,” said Hazel Cheeseman, head of the tobacco control non-profit Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

Implementing the recommended tobacco control policies would help bring England’s smoking rate down to 7.8 per cent by 2029, with net public savings of £2.2 billion (€2.7 billion), according to an ASH analysis.

Nick Hopkinson, a professor of respiratory medicine at Imperial College London, said that if the government isn’t willing to fund anti-smoking programmes, it should “impose a levy on tobacco manufacturers to make them pay to fix the damage they have caused”.

These so-called “polluter pays” taxes would keep cigarette retail prices the same but cap tobacco manufacturers’ profits, with the extra money going to smoking cessation programmes. The ASH estimates this type of tax could raise £700 million (€840 million) in the first year.

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EU also taking steps to curb smoking

Meanwhile, European Union lawmakers will meet today to discuss whether to advise member states to extend smoking bans to outdoor areas, in a bid to bring smoking rates below 5 per cent by 2040.

The goal is to achieve a “tobacco-free generation” as part of Europe’s beating cancer plan, though the recommendations would not be binding.

European countries all have different tobacco policies and smoking rates vary considerably, from 8 per cent in Sweden to 37 per cent in Bulgaria. Overall, about one in four Europeans smoke cigarettes.