I wrote a few weeks ago about what has happened to the recommendations from the excellent Khan Tobacco Independent review?
There had been various reports of delays due to the ever changing Prime Ministers and some whispers of the fact that the current Health Secretary Therese Coffey was not interested. This has provoked discussion as Therese is in fact a smoker and (according to the Guardian website) …
“Coffey, who is also the deputy prime minister, smokes and has previously accepted hospitality from the tobacco industry. Since becoming an MP in 2010 she has voted in the Commons against an array of measures to restrict smoking, including the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, the outlawing of smoking in cars containing children and forcing cigarettes to be sold in plain packs.”
Hmm suspicious how the Khan review suddenly became less urgent.
Well there has been a new development…
The Smoke-Free 2030 Ambition For England
A research briefing paper was published by the House of Commons Library on 1st November 2022.
You can read the full document here but I will lay out some of the more important points below.
It discusses the original Khan review and the fact that the then Health Secretary Sajid Javid would consider the Khan review recommendations and they would help to create the upcoming White Paper on Health Disparities.
Also there would be a new Tobacco Control Plan published in order to use some of the Khan recommendations and meet the Smoke-free 2030 target.
As of October 31st 2022 the recommendations were apparently still being considered and again mentioned that the new Tobacco Control Plan will be published in “due course”. That is the latest update.
The fact that Therese Coffey had allegedly ignored the issue is also mentioned…
There are also reports of some backlash towards the Khan recommendations…
The Association of Convenience Stores and Taxpayers Alliance made a point of the impact on retailers and how it looked like “Prohibition”…
Since this was published (as covered in another article) the IEA (Institute of Economic Affairs) has published their Alternative Tobacco Control Plan which calls the Khan review “Prohibitionist” – but still is pro-vaping – just ditching the strict age restrictions and further tobacco restrictions.
Thoughts
The Smoke-Free Ambition 2030 document does at least clarify the fact that the recommendations have not been totally binned. Does this also coincide with the fact that Coffey has gone and Steve Barclay is the new Secretary of Health and Social Care. Will the priority change?
I think there will be no updates for a while, with the whole of the Government being in disarray and lots of bigger issues that will take priority, I think the Tobacco Plan will take a back seat.
