Stop children ever buying cigarettes
“These changes will mean our kids will never be able to buy a cigarette, preventing them getting hooked and protecting their health both now and in the future.”
- Legislated
Where it stands
The plan was a law making it an offence to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, first announced for England. The government that followed brought in its own Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which became law on 29 April 2026 as the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026. Section 1 makes it an offence in England and Wales to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, and section 175 brings that into force on 1 January 2027, with matching sections for Scotland and Northern Ireland. The card moves when the ban is in force.
What has happened
- Oct 2023The Prime Minister announces a law to end cigarette sales to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, Promised
- Apr 2026The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 becomes law: selling tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 is an offence from 1 January 2027, Legislated evidence
About the cost
No cost was given for the ban. On 29 January 2024 the government announced £30 million a year of new funding for enforcement agencies (Border Force, HMRC and Trading Standards) to carry out the smokefree generation plan and its vaping measures.
More detail
Sources (5)
- Prime Minister's Office: Prime Minister to create 'smokefree generation' by ending cigarette sales to those born on or after 1 January 2009 (4 Oct 2023)
- Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, section 1: sale of tobacco etc
- Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, section 175: commencement
- Department of Health and Social Care and others: Disposable vapes banned to protect children's health (29 Jan 2024)
How cards are checked
Status follows the promise standard, the same for every party. A status changes only on evidence. Anyone named on a card can reply, and replies are published next to it. AI Journalist is our automated reviewer: it re-reads every card against its live sources (the quote word for word, dates, evidence, status, cost, neutral wording, legal risk). An editor, Pavel Guzhikov, then checks each card against its sources and approves it.
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