TobaccoReporter logo

Tag: UK

  • Industry Mobilizing to Support UK Vapers

    Industry Mobilizing to Support UK Vapers

    The UK vaping industry is mobilizing to support adult smokers and protect access to vaping amid potential regulatory changes. The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) will run the ninth annual VApril campaign in April 2026, providing evidence-based guidance, expert advice, and personal success stories to help smokers switch to vaping. The campaign also aims to raise awareness of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill — which would restrict flavors, packaging, and product displays — and to encourage vapers to engage with policymakers.

    Meanwhile, the New Nicotine Alliance has launched the Save Vaping campaign to oppose a proposed public vaping ban, warning it could push former smokers back to cigarettes, create enforcement burdens for businesses, and mislead the public on relative risk. Both campaigns provide resources for vapers to contact MPs, highlight successful quitting stories, and ensure consumers have access to reliable information on vaping as a safer alternative to smoking.

  • UK’s Generational Smoking Ban Moves Closer  

    UK’s Generational Smoking Ban Moves Closer  

    Both Houses of the UK Parliament have backed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at its third reading, aiming to create a smoke-free generation by preventing anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, from ever purchasing cigarettes, tobacco, herbal smoking products, or cigarette papers. The proposed law also penalizes adults who attempt to buy vaping or nicotine products on behalf of those underage, while granting ministers new powers to regulate flavors, ingredients, and packaging of smoking and vaping products. Health minister Baroness Merron emphasized the legislation’s public health focus, framing the bill as a measure to protect youth from nicotine addiction.

    Industry and political voices have highlighted the need for balanced implementation. Conservative shadow health minister Lord Kamall called for evidence-based regulations that do not unduly burden retailers or restrict adult smokers’ access to products that aid cessation, while warning that permanent restrictions could drive some consumers to black-market sources. Jamie Strachan, operations director at VPZ, a national vaping retailer, echoed the importance of clear standards and strong enforcement, noting that the success of the legislation will rely on regulating high-capacity disposable devices and ensuring responsible retail practices to both protect young people and maintain access to safer alternatives for adults.

  • BAT Facing UK Lawsuit Over North Korea Sanctions

    BAT Facing UK Lawsuit Over North Korea Sanctions

    British American Tobacco is facing a London High Court lawsuit from over 100 current and former shareholders who allege the company failed to properly disclose to markets its breaches of U.S. sanctions related to business in North Korea, Reuters is reporting. The claims follow BAT’s 2023 settlement with U.S. authorities, in which a subsidiary admitted to conspiring to violate sanctions and commit bank fraud by selling tobacco products to North Korea between 2007 and 2017, resulting in a $635 million payment. The lawsuit, filed on February 27, accuses BAT of withholding information about its North Korea operations for over a decade, though the value of the claim and further details have not been disclosed.

  • UK’s Black Market Booming as Legal Smokes Down 52%: Report

    UK’s Black Market Booming as Legal Smokes Down 52%: Report

    Sales of legal tobacco in the United Kingdom have dropped by 52% since 2021, according to new data from HMRC, however, smoking prevalence and consumption per smoker have remained relatively stable, indicating a sharp rise in the illicit cigarette trade. Reports show manufactured cigarette volumes fell 46% from 23.4 billion to 12.6 billion sticks, while rolling tobacco declined 59% from 8.6 million kilograms to 3.6 million kilograms. When converted into cigarette equivalents, just 19.8 billion sticks were sold legally in 2025, less than half the 40.6 billion sold in 2021.

    With excise duty on cigarettes and rolling tobacco rising 73% and 115%, respectively, since 2020, resulting tobacco duty revenues have fallen from £10.4 billion to £7.9 billion, the lowest on record after adjusting for inflation, highlighting the rapid expansion of the black market. Dr Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said the figures provide “conclusive proof” that illicit tobacco is proliferating, noting that the growth of the black market is evident to smokers and the general public alike. The analysis underscores concerns that high taxes, while intended to curb smoking, have inadvertently fueled illegal sales, presenting a major challenge for regulators and law enforcement.

  • UK Awards Contract for Vaping Duty Stamps Program

    UK Awards Contract for Vaping Duty Stamps Program

    SICPA, a Swiss private technology company that specializes in digital sovereignty and secure public services, announced that it, along with partner Cartor Security Printers, received the contract from His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs to deliver a secure tax stamp and track-and-trace system for vape products in the UK.

    Selected following a multistage procurement process launched in July 2025, the consortium secured a five-year contract, with an option for a one-year extension, after a detailed technical and financial evaluation. The system will be introduced in phases, beginning with a transitional duty stamp in April, followed by an enhanced stamp integrated with a full track-and-trace solution from October.

    Cartor will produce the tax stamps with core physical security features, while SICPA will add advanced material and digital protections, manage coding and the T&T platform, and oversee stakeholder registration, stamp ordering and payments, and compliance monitoring across the vape supply chain. Digital market intelligence tools, enforcement audit devices, and consumer verification applications will further support the detection of fraud and counterfeit activity.

  • UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill to Enter Report Stage

    UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill to Enter Report Stage

    Members of the House of Lords will begin report-stage scrutiny of the UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill tomorrow (Feb. 24), marking a further phase of detailed examination and amendments. The legislation proposes a generational smoking ban that would make it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, with the legal age rising by one year annually from 2027, alongside tighter regulation of vapes and other nicotine products, including potential advertising restrictions.

    Peers are suggesting amendments covering a possible increase in the sales age to 21, stricter age verification requirements, expanded powers to restrict product sales, greater transparency of tobacco sales data, and the creation of a youth vaping and waste taskforce. For retailers, particularly convenience stores, the bill could significantly alter compliance requirements, complicating age checks as different thresholds apply across tobacco, alcohol and other age-restricted categories.

  • Retailer Offers Comprehensive UK Vape Tax Guide

    Retailer Offers Comprehensive UK Vape Tax Guide

    Vape and Go, a UK-based online vape retailer, released an updated, comprehensive UK vape tax guide to explain HMRC’s upcoming Vaping Products Duty, set to take effect on  October 1. The guide outlines the confirmed flat-rate tax of £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid, including nicotine-free products, and details the new Vaping Duty Stamps scheme, which requires stamps to be affixed to all retail packaging. The guide also clarifies timelines for registration, duty calculation examples for popular pod and refill formats, and what remains pending, such as the personal duty‑free allowance. Founder Salman Essap emphasized that the guide aims to help adult customers and the retail supply chain understand compliance requirements and navigate the changes as the tax comes into force.

  • Riot Labs Launches Strawberry Orange Crush

    Riot Labs Launches Strawberry Orange Crush

    UK e-liquid manufacturer Riot Labs launched Strawberry Orange Crush, which it describes as the “best e-liquid flavor ever made.” The new blend is billed as a rich, candied strawberry and orange fusion with a fresh citrus snap and icy finish. Known for its bold flavors, Riot Labs says the release supports its broader mission to challenge the status quo in smoke cessation by offering adult smokers compelling alternatives.

    Sales Director Matt Crann said the flavor is designed to be “loud and unapologetic,” adding that innovation and standout taste are central to the brand’s identity. Strawberry Orange Crush is available online and in vape stores nationwide in 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg nicotine strengths, with prices starting at £3.99.

  • UK Retailers Bearing Brunt of Disposable Vape Ban

    UK Retailers Bearing Brunt of Disposable Vape Ban

    UK convenience vape sales fell sharply following last year’s disposable vape ban, with unit sales down 20.8% and value sales down 12.7% nearly eight months after implementation, according to data from Clarity by Talysis. Tracking EPoS data from thousands of independent and symbol-group stores, Talysis said the ban has delivered a “triple whammy” of reduced footfall, lower turnover, and higher operational complexity, as reusable and pod-based formats have failed to replace disposable sales fully.

    While overall vape consumption has not declined, shifts to multi-pod and “big puff” reusable products—offering significantly more liquid per purchase—have reduced store visits and transaction frequency, leaving retailers with lower income and more complex stock management amid a surge of new product SKUs. The agency added that tobacco and smoking alternatives’ share of the convenience market has fallen to 30.3%, with vaping no longer offsetting declines in traditional tobacco sales.

  • UK Government Acknowledges Nicotine Pouches as Harm Reduction Tool

    UK Government Acknowledges Nicotine Pouches as Harm Reduction Tool

    The UK government confirmed that nicotine pouches are likely lower-risk alternatives to smoking, recognizing them as a distinct product category under the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill. In response to campaigners advocating for a 20 mg nicotine strength cap, officials emphasized that any future regulations will be evidence-based and proportionate, aiming to protect public health while avoiding rules that could push adults back to smoking. Sales to under-18s will remain illegal, and the Department of Health and Social Care highlighted concerns about youth uptake, particularly among young men.

    Campaign groups, including 20isPlenty, We Vape, and Considerate Pouchers, welcomed the acknowledgment, noting that government recognition of nicotine pouches’ lower risk and separate status from cigarettes marks a major concession. Officials also confirmed that upcoming regulations on flavors, ingredients, packaging, and display will be subject to consultation, allowing stakeholders to advocate for measures that preserve adult access while limiting youth appeal.

    Further research into nicotine products and vaping has been commissioned, including a “living evidence map” by the National Institute for Health and Care Research to inform policy development. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently awaiting report stage and third reading in the House of Lords, will also implement the government’s “smoke-free generation” plan, banning tobacco sales for anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, starting in 2027.