Tobacco bill must be backed with support for smokers to quit

Figures released to mark National No Smoking Day (11 March) shows that more than one million people in Great Britain quit smoking in 2025.

Analysis from University College London’s Smoking Toolkit Study found that, among people in Great Britain who reported smoking in the past year, 35% tried to stop, and of those, 29% quit successfully – equivalent to more than a million people across the country.

Separate YouGov polling for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) shows 53% of smokers say they want to stop, including 22% who ‘really want to stop’.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is expected to become law by the end of April, which will make it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1January 2009, with the aim of creating a ‘smokefree generation’.

However, with more than 5 million people in the UK still smoking, health charities say it must be backed up with practical, properly funded support to help smokers quit.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK, causing around 80,000 deaths each year. Stopping smoking brings rapid and significant health benefits at any age but most people need more than one attempt to quit: using stop smoking services and effective quit aids can significantly increase the chances of successfully stopping for good.

Professor Sarah Jackson, of UCL, said: ‘The smokefree generation policy is a vital step forward, but it will not on its own address the harm caused by smoking among the millions of people who already smoke. To prevent avoidable illness and premature deaths, we must ensure that existing generations of smokers are supported to quit.’