The UKVIA has welcomed new Office for National Statistics data showing smoking rates has fallen to a new record low of 9.8%, down from 10.6% in 2024 and 20.2% in 2011.
However, the government’s current approach to vaping – which has been instrumental in helping millions of adults reduce or completely stop smoking – risks undermining that progress.
Responding to the new data, UKVIA Director General John Dunne, said:
“The latest ONS figures show just how far Britain has come in tackling smoking, with rates once again at a record low and vaping playing an undeniable role in driving that progress – which makes the Government’s current approach to vaping all the more baffling.
“At the same time that vaping is helping millions of adults move away from or stay off cigarettes, a growing list of policies and proposals risk making vapes harder to choose and less accessible for the very people who rely on them. Not least the new Vaping Products Duty, which came into force this month and will see the cost of vaping products increase by as much as 264%.
“Our survey of almost 3,500 adult vapers showed 50% feared the duty could send them back to smoking or to the black market, while analysis from the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimates it could see 946,000 vapers and dual users switch exclusively to smoking and create £306.6m in additional healthcare and productivity costs.
“No young person or never-smoker should be using vaping products, and the industry backs meaningful action against illegal sellers, but that should not come at the expense of adult smokers, vapers and the legitimate sector supporting their smokefree journeys.
“That’s why we’re calling on Government to commit to a Fair Deal for Vaping, one which protects young people, cracks down on rogue retailers and preserves the public health power of vaping – including a proportionate approach on packaging, advertising and display, protecting vital flavours and an urgent review of the VPD rate.
“This should be a moment to celebrate Britain’s progress on smoking. Instead, we are having to fight to protect one of the tools that has been instrumental in helping make that progress possible.”
