900 cigarettes a second: the Bill that could stub out the harms of smoking
Image credit: Cancer Research UK
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is a historic chance to protect future generations from deadly, costly addiction. Parliamentarians must act now to pass this worldleading legislation and secure a lasting legacy for the nation’s health.
Every day, over 78 million cigarettes are smoked across Britain – that’s about 900 per second.1
Inside each of these cigarettes is a toxic cocktail of over 5,000 chemicals and the tragic fact is that two in three people who smoke will ultimately die from their addiction.
These figures are a stark reminder that the fight against tobacco is far from over. While significant progress has been made to bring down smoking rates, there are still around six million smokers in the UK. And in some parts of the country, progress to bring this number down could actually be stalling.
Putting a stop to the leading preventable cause of death in the UK is possible. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the UK government’s chance to truly prove its commitment to shifting healthcare from treatment to prevention.
But the Bill hasn’t progressed as quickly as it should. Despite completing all stages in the House of Commons and passing Second Reading in the House of Lords on 23rd April, there has been no confirmation of Committee Stage in the Lords at the time of writing.
Since the legislation was introduced by the Labour government into the House of Commons in November 2024, around 24 billion cigarettes have been smoked across Britain. That’s enough to fill more than 45 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Now Parliament has returned, passing this legislation must be a public health priority.
Like many, I know firsthand the devastating toll of tobacco. My grandfather first started smoking as a child – this sparked decades of addiction and, following a devastating diagnosis of cancer, he endured radiotherapy and invasive facial surgery. Smoking slowly dragged the life from him.
Sadly, his story is one of many. Tobacco has torn apart countless lives. An estimated nine million people have died from smoking since the 1960s, and around 160 people are still diagnosed with cancer caused by smoking every day in the UK.2
Perhaps the most important impact of this Bill is that it will shield future generations from a lifetime of deadly, costly addiction.
Many members of the House reading this are parents, grandparents, godparents, aunts or uncles. This year, my sons are 16 and 13 years old. I want them to grow up without ever having the risk of an addiction to tobacco – an addiction that kills. Tobacco is a uniquely toxic consumer product that deserves no place in our future, or, more importantly, theirs.
Polling data conducted by YouGov for Cancer Research UK shows that 71 per cent of people support raising the age of sale of tobacco products gradually to prevent future generations from ever legally being sold tobacco.3 The Bill has resounding support from across the House, strong public backing and it could reduce pressure on the NHS.
When so many lives are at stake, we can’t afford to lose any momentum. This is a historic opportunity to help stub out the harms of smoking, and I urge parliamentarians to ensure there is no delay in advancing this Bill.
Cancers caused by smoking in the UK have reached an all-time high of around 160 cases every day. With bold action, we can prevent thousands of cancer deaths from tobacco each year.2
To get involved in the campaign, click here.
- Sarah E Jackson, Jamie Brown, Vera Buss, Sharon Cox, Sociodemographic and Regional Differences in Cigarette Consumption Across Great Britain: A Population Study, 2022–2024, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaf133
- Cancer Research UK, 2024. CRUK analysis brief: Smoking-attributable cancer cases in the UK, 2003-2023. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/analysis_brief_smoking_attributable_cancer_cases_in_the_uk_2003-2023.pdf.
- All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,306 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th - 12th September 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
