Prime minister Rishi Sunak is said to "hate" smoking and is supposedly prepared  to introduce some of the toughest anti-tobacco rules in the world.

His first endeavour would be to prevent younger people taking up smoking and this is thought to be more likely than a ban on smoking in pub gardens.

The government estimated back in 2015 that smoking costs the NHS 2.6 Billion Pounds a year. Details can be read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-smoking-to-the-nhs-in-england-2015/cost-of-smoking-to-the-nhs-in-england-2015So it is only right that the government has asked civil servants who report to Professor Sir Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, to come up with proposals for tobacco control.In 2022 a government review by the former Barnardo's chief Javed Khan proposed measures with the aim of having less than 5 per cent of people smoking by 2030.

That would be a reduction from the current 14 per cent.

In a clever and legally possible legislative move the main proposal was for a New Zealand-style law that raised the legal smoking age by a year every year to prevent people below a certain age from ever buying cigarettes.  

Of course, we all hear that if kids want to buy cigarettes they will always find ways of doing so but even if this will not stop children and youths from smoking entirely it could go a long way. In particular if fines to the resellers becoming extremely prohibitive.

Javid Khan, former Barnardo's chief, urged ministers to promote e-cigarettes as an alternative.But Sunak is also drawing up plans for a crackdown on youth vaping. He is considering banning disposable vapes, cartoon packaging and flavours that appeal to children.

Khan wants to go further with a ban on smoking in outdoor spaces to create a "social norm" and even a prohibition on some council housing tenants from smoking in their homes. This is probably not enforceable.

Chief executive of the anti-smoking charity Ash, Deborah Arnott, stated: "Smoking is highly addictive and only one in three smokers quit before they die. Smokers need to make on average 30 attempts before they succeed and quit. If the government is serious about making England smoke-free by 2030, it needs to reduce youth uptake as well as help adult smokers quit."

Ash strongly supports raising the age of sale, it's worked well in the US and is popular with the public. Smoke free by 2030?

A government spokesman said: "Smoking is a deadly habit, it kills tens of thousands of people each year and places a huge burden on the NHS and the economy. We want to encourage more people to quit and meet our ambition to be smoke-free by 2030, which is why we have already taken steps to reduce smoking rates."

London 01. October 2023