MPS URGED TO BACK SMOKING BAN BY UK’S FOUR CHIEF NURSES
The UK’s four top nurses have urged MPs to back Rishi Sunak’s ban on smoking as it comes to the House of Commons.
The chief nursing officers of England, Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland have published an open letter ahead of Tuesday’s vote in Parliament on whether or not to approve the legislation.
The Prime Minister is facing the opposition of a number of Conservative MPs, including Liz Truss, after declaring that the motion would be a “free vote” with Tories allowed to rebel against the Government’s position.
In an unusual intervention, the four chief nursing officers said they were in favour of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
They wrote in the open letter provided to i: “As nurses and midwives, we have witnessed the huge harm and devastation that smoking causes for individuals, families and society as a whole as a result of preventable illness, death and health inequalities.”
The group added: “As the Tobacco and Vapes Bill starts to be debated within Parliament, we would like to set out our professional position. We strongly support political parties from all four nations to provide their full backing for a smokefree generation.
“As a group of professions who commit to helping others, we now look for action which will prevent ill health, death, reduce health inequalities and the unnecessary suffering of thousands of people now and for our future generations.”
The bill would dictate that anyone born after 1 January 2009 will never be able to buy tobacco – meaning that from 2027 onwards, the legal smoking age would gradually increase.
It would also restrict the variety of flavours that vapes can be sold in and control the way they are packaged and marketed in an attempt to dissuade children from buying them.
The bill is supported by Labour, meaning that the second reading vote is highly likely to pass the Commons despite the looming Tory rebellion.
It is intended to ensure that current smokers are not penalised but that future generations do not start smoking, which Mr Sunak argues will boost public health without restricting anyone’s existing freedoms.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “The truth is that there is no safe level of tobacco consumption. It is uniquely harmful and that is why we are taking this important action today to protect the next generation.”
Sir Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, added: “This bill, if passed, will have a substantial impact – preventing disease, disability and premature deaths long into the future.”
Smokers’ rights group Forest has claimed that the bill would help “criminal gangs” by driving the tobacco trade underground. Labour has also suggested that the law may have to be changed in future to avoid a situation where people in their thirties and forties have to prove their age when buying cigarettes.
2024-04-16T06:17:48Z dg43tfdfdgfdChief nurses back ‘smokefree generation’
As nurses and midwives, we have witnessed the huge harm and devastation that smoking causes for individuals, families and society as a whole as a result of preventable illness, death and health inequalities. We know that people often start smoking at a young age – some as children. This then becomes a lifelong addiction and a battle to quit.
Smoking accounts for 80,000 deaths across the UK each year and is the leading cause of health inequalities accounting for differences in life expectancy between the most and least affluent communities across the UK.
Smoking can affect unborn babies and it increases the risk of illness in children and in adults, and yet it can be avoided. It remains one of the biggest single causes of preventable illness and death across the United Kingdom.
There is clear evidence that smoking contributes to a wide range of ill health or health concerns throughout the life course, including stillbirth in pregnant women and an increased risk of complications in pregnancy and labour, through to asthma in children and multiple conditions which occur later in life such as certain cancers, heart disease, stroke and vascular dementia to name a few.
We are also concerned about the growing number of children and young people who are taking up vaping, which can lead to nicotine addiction and unknown longer-term harms. The deliberate targeting of vapes to children and young people needs to be urgently addressed.
As the Tobacco and Vapes Bill starts to be debated within Parliament, we would like to set out our professional position. We strongly support political parties from all four nations to provide their full backing for a smokefree generation. As a group of professions who commit to helping others, we now look for action which will prevent ill health, death, reduce health inequalities and the unnecessary suffering of thousands of people now and for our future generations.
Dame Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England
Professor Alex McMahon, Chief Nursing Officer for Scotland
Sue Tranka, Chief Nursing Officer for Wales
Maria McIlgorm, Chief Nursing Officer for Northen Ireland