The UK vape industry is currently facing more uncertainty than any time since regulations began with politicians seeking unprecedented powers to restrict flavours, retail displays and product packaging.

Disposables will be banned throughout the UK from April and there are plans to introduce new vape taxes.

The Labour Government will revive the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which stalled due to the General Election, but was one of 40 pieces of proposed new legislation announced in the King’s Speech at the opening of the latest parliamentary session.

This year the Forum theme is ‘The Changing Vaping Environment – Succeeding in a New Policy Landscape’ to reflect what needs to be done against a backdrop of unprecedented regulatory change.

The vape sector has helped bring down smoking rates to a record low with affordable, technologically-advanced products which deliver nicotine to smokers in a far more appealing way than patches or gum ever can.

This year we are battling for the future of our industry so that we can continue to give adult smokers a reduced risk product which has only a fraction of the risks of cigarettes. We also want a vape licensing scheme which would come down hard on those who sell to children and provide £50m-a-year to fund an unprecedented nationwide Trading Standards enforcement action.

With the potential for so much regulatory change in the UK, the industry must set out a clear strategy to promote evidence-based regulatory change which will allow adult smokers access to a full range of reduced-risk vaping products while also protecting under-18s from an age-gated product.