Increase tobacco purchase age from 18 to 21, Tory MP says
'It’s now time to raise the age of legal sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21, and impose a levy on the profits of the big tobacco companies'
File photo of a man lighting a cigarette. (PA)
By Ben Hatton, PA Political Staff
A Conservative MP has called for the minimum age to buy tobacco products be raised from 18 to 21.
Bob Blackman also called for a new levy on the profits of the big tobacco companies to put towards smoking cessation services “on the basis that the polluter must pay”.
The MP for Harrow East was speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.
Boris Johnson said an independent review of smoking is taking place.
Mr Blackman told the Commons: “I strongly support the Government’s intention to make England smoke-free by 2030. But on the current trajectory we are going to miss that target.
“It is vital that we discourage young people from starting to smoke and encourage people that smoke already to give up.
“It’s now time to raise the age of legal sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21, and impose a levy on the profits of the big tobacco companies to raise £700 million that we can put to smoking cessation services on the basis that the polluter must pay.”
Boris Johnson said: “He is absolutely right about smoking, it’s the biggest single cause of preventable death in this country.
“As he will know, Javed Khan OBE is undertaking an independent review of smoking and I am sure he will want to take my honourable friend’s suggestions into account.”
