The Chancellor should target vaping products with tax hikes to discourage the habit, a Conservative former health minister has said.
Maggie Throup, the former vaccines minister, also urged the Government to look at outlawing the sale of vapes within a certain distance of schools.
Her calls for the Government to get tougher on children using vapes came during a Labour-led Commons debate, in which the party warned growing numbers of under-18s were being “inappropriately exposed” to electronic cigarettes.
E-cigarettes are commonly known as vapes because they simulate tobacco smoking through a heated, flavoured vapour.
While they are often used as an aid to quit smoking, there is growing concern about their health impact as people take up vaping having never previously smoked.
We can't allow vaping to become the new cigarettes. Far too many of us have seen the consequence of smoking and we must not allow history to repeat itself.— Maggie Throup
In the Commons, Ms Throup said: “We can’t allow vaping to become the new cigarettes. Far too many of us have seen the consequence of smoking and we must not allow history to repeat itself.
“That is why today I have five requests of the minister on the front bench.”
Ms Throup urged ministers to update tobacco advertising regulations to cover vaping products, and to prohibit the sale of flavoured vaping liquid.
The Erewash MP added: “My third request for her is to look carefully at the case for outlawing the sale of tobacco and vaping products within a defined radius of schools.”
She also said the ban on selling vaping products to under 18s should be “properly and rigorously enforced by trading standards”.
Ms Throup concluded: “Finally, my request number five is to urge the Chancellor to specifically target vaping products in his next budget statement, to disincentivise the recreational habit through the tax system.
“Only then can we truly claim to be a world leader in protecting the health of our nation.”
Conservative former health minister Dr Caroline Johnson also urged ministers to consider banning certain flavours of vapes modelled after sweets, because of the influence this could have on children to take up the habit.
Dr Johnson said: “Therefore making it cherry cola flavoured or bubble-gum flavoured or whatever flavour this person likes to inhale means that they continue to be addicted to that product and continue to use that product.”
The Sleaford and North Hykeham MP also suggested that even MPs had been drawn into a culture of vaping on and off throughout the day.
She told the Commons: “That continual top up is something that we see in Parliament too. Yesterday while eating in the tearoom, a Member of the House was vaping at the table.”
Referring to Monday’s long night of voting on the Illegal Migration Bill, Dr Johnson added: “Yesterday – we had had quite a long session of votes yesterday it must be said – but during voting in the ladies cloakroom a member of the opposition frontbench was sat vaping.
“So we are seeing this happen and exposing people to topping up anywhere and everywhere it would seem. That is something I would like to see stop.”
Labour’s motion to the Commons condemned the Government for a lack of action, as it warned that “children are being inappropriately exposed to e-cigarette promotions”, and claimed underage vaping had increased by 50% in the last three years.
Shadow health minister Andrew Gwynne told the Commons: “We were promised a tobacco control plan. That was binned. We were promised a health disparities white paper. That was binned. We were promised a ban on junk food adverts to children. Binned.
“Why? Because the Prime Minister is too weak to take on the fringes of his own party who view public health with suspicion.”
“The next Labour government will not allow this trend continue,” he added.
Health minister Neil O’Brien said: “We are committed, absolutely, to doing all we can to prevent children from starting vaping and we are already taking robust actions in a range of areas, and we are actively working on ways that we can go further.
“But it is essential that that is evidenced-based and that we have measures that will actually be effective.”
