Don’t fall for Big Tobacco’s tricks – We must stay vigilant as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill moves through Parliament

24 March 2025, 12:07

Every five minutes, someone dies because of tobacco in the UK and an estimated 980,000 children tried vapes last year.

In recent years, you might have seen Big Tobacco talking about a “smoke-free future”, “a smokeless world”, and “healthier futures”. You’ve probably also come across their so-called “risk-reduced products”. Don’t fall for it. Who would trust an industry that spent decades lying? Big Tobacco knew the dangers of smoking yet publicly denied the harm—to continue profiting from addiction.

Our latest research from the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill reveals a familiar pattern: the industry is working to weaken the Bill—just as it has with every major tobacco control law before. For example, we have previously shown how the industry fought against standardised packaging, which the UK implemented in 2017—becoming only the third country in the world to do so. Then and now, Big Tobacco has put profits ahead of public health.

We analysed 43 submissions from the tobacco and nicotine industries and affiliated organisations during the 2023/24 policymaking process for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. While Big Tobacco claims to support the UK’s smoke-free ambition, its comments on the proposed measures tell a different story. Their arguments follow a well-worn playbook—claiming the Bill will fuel the black market, negatively impact small businesses, and impose an overreaching "nanny state". They have made almost identical arguments against every tobacco control policy—none of which came true.

Instead, the policies worked exactly as anticipated—bringing down cigarette sales, reducing smoking rates, and saving lives. It’s no surprise that Big Tobacco is fighting this Bill—the UK would be the first country in the world to introduce a Generational Sales Ban, setting a precedent that could be followed globally.

And it’s not just tobacco companies making these arguments. Organisations with industry ties repeat them—often without disclosing their connections. So as you follow the news on this Bill, ask yourself: Are the "independent retailers" truly independent? Is that "grassroots organisation" actually industry-backed? Opposition can come from genuine sources—but our research shows that it often doesn’t.

Instead of accepting responsibility for the public health crisis it created, Big Tobacco shifts blame onto others—pointing at those who smoke, young people, and retailers, while insisting "better education" is a key answer. But the facts tell a different story:

• Most people who smoke want to quit – yet it often takes multiple attempts.
• For decades, the industry funded so-called “youth smoking prevention programs”—not to stop smoking, but as a PR tactic to avoid regulation.

The same tobacco giants now profiting from newer tobacco and nicotine products spent decades denying the harms of smoking. They market these newer products as “less harmful” alternatives, but their goal isn’t to reduce harm—it’s to maximise profit. By positioning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products as the "solution" to smoking, they profit twice from those who are addicted.

Notably, tobacco companies remain silent on what really worries them—the potential threat to their profits. Instead, they push for loopholes, such as exemptions to the generational smoking ban or raising the age-of-sale to 21—not to end tobacco sales. They seek to preserve their market for as long as possible, regardless of the costs to public health and future generations.

If history has taught us anything, it’s that Big Tobacco doesn’t fear bad policy—it fears good policy that works. We must remain vigilant, ensuring the Bill remains as strong as possible, protecting public health over industry profits.

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Dr Britta Matthes is a Research Fellow at the University of Bath.

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