Public ranks Tobacco and Vapes Bill among least important government priorities, poll finds
October 4, 2025
Only two in five adults consider the Tobacco and Vapes Bill important as it moves through Parliament
A new opinion poll suggests that the UK government’s flagship Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to ban the sale of tobacco to all future generations, ranks near the bottom of public priorities compared with other legislation currently progressing through Parliament.
The survey, conducted by Yonder Consulting for smokers’ rights group Forest, found that just 42 per cent of adults think the Bill is important. It was rated ninth out of ten government bills included in the research, ahead only of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which just 28 per cent of respondents considered important.
The findings come as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, a central plank of the government’s strategy to create a ‘smoke-free generation’, prepares to move to committee stage in the House of Lords on 27 October.
Crime, immigration and schools top list of public priorities
According to the poll of more than 2,000 UK adults, voters placed a much greater emphasis on issues such as law enforcement, border control, and education.
The Crime and Policing Bill was rated the most important piece of legislation, with 71 per cent of respondents highlighting it as a top priority, followed by the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill (69 per cent) and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (68 per cent).
By contrast, health-related legislation like the Tobacco and Vapes Bill drew relatively limited public support. Despite the government’s framing of the measure as a landmark public health reform, it appears the public is more focused on broader socio-economic challenges.
Health service and cost of living dominate national concerns
When asked to consider wider government priorities beyond individual bills, respondents overwhelmingly identified everyday issues as more pressing.
Eighty-eight percent said improving the health service should be a key government focus, while 87 per cent highlighted addressing the cost of living crisis. Care for the elderly (80 per cent), national security (79 per cent), the housing crisis (75 per cent), and tackling illegal immigration (74 per cent) were also rated as major concerns.
Only 39 per cent said tackling smoking was important, and among them, a mere 17 per cent described it as “very important”- a result that raises questions about how much political capital the government should invest in further tobacco control measures amid competing national challenges.
Forest: ‘Government is out of touch’
Responding to the findings, Simon Clark, director of Forest, said the poll demonstrates that most adults do not see further restrictions on smoking as a priority.
“Contrary to what the stop smoking brigade would have us believe, further anti-smoking measures are not on most people’s wish list,” Clark said. “When there are so many more important issues to address, it demonstrates how out of touch this Labour government is.”
The group has been a long-standing critic of the proposed generational tobacco sales ban, arguing that it infringes on adult choice and risks fuelling illicit trade rather than improving public health outcomes.
Introduced earlier this year, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill seeks to prohibit the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, effectively phasing out legal tobacco sales over time. It also includes provisions to restrict vape flavours and strengthen marketing controls on vaping products.
The government has presented the legislation as a key part of its ‘smoke-free generation’ plan, building on measures such as the Vaping Products Duty, due to take effect in October 2026, and the ban on disposable vapes, which came into force in June 2025.
