“Historical moment”
Country imposes smoking ban for entire generations
Updated April 22, 2026 – 11:55 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
The British Parliament passes a law for a “smoke-free generation”. London is thus following a country that took a pioneering role just a few months ago.
The British government has welcomed the passage of a law by Parliament banning the sale of cigarettes to all citizens born later than 2008. Health Minister Wes Streeting said on Tuesday it was a “historic moment”.
For the first time, a “smoke-free generation will be protected from a life of addiction and health problems.” Both chambers of Parliament agreed on the final version of the law on Monday.
The MPs approved the bill in its final reading at the end of March with 366 votes to 41. Now King Charles III still has to. agree, which is considered a formality.
New Zealand passed a similar law at the end of 2022 under the leadership of then Labor Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. There, too, they hoped to become a smoke-free country. However, the conservative successor government overturned the law less than two years later.
The new law in the UK also includes a ban on smoking in certain outdoor areas, including children’s playgrounds and around schools and hospitals. Hazel Cheeseman, head of the organization Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), described the law’s passage as a “crucial turning point” and “a lasting gift for future generations.”
The Labor Party had previously banned the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, which are popular with young people. The ban came into force on June 1, 2025. Smoking is responsible for the deaths of around 80,000 people a year in the UK and one in four deaths from cancer.
