More than 1,200 public health leaders have urged swift progress of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, arguing its measures are vital to protect future generations. In a cross-party letter, signatories said the provisions are transformative and should not be sidelined. Peers in the House of Lords are due to begin scrutiny on the first day of the bill’s committee stage. The document notes a six-month gap since the bill’s second reading. The bill would prevent anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 from legally smoking if it becomes law and would give powers to restrict the packaging, marketing and flavours of e-cigarettes.

The signatories say the Bill is urgently needed. They point to more than 120,000 young adults aged 18–25 who have started smoking since its introduction to the Commons last November, and to continued exposure of children to vape marketing. They warn that without swift action the harm will continue, and that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the UK, linked to more than 70,000 deaths each year.