Independent retailers have condemned Labour’s proposal to consult on banning cigarette sales if they come into power.
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that Labour would consult on the phasing out of cigarettes.
But such plans have been slated by convenience retailers. Phil Dickson, managing director of Empire Group, which operates 40 sites across the North West and North East, said such a move would “massively push the black market”.
He claimed that the proposal was merely “a headline grabber” and that it needed to be thought about in more detail.
“I think he’s missing a big point that you need more inclusion, rather than exclusion,” said Phil. ”By creating an exclusion, you create demand and we would lose control of that product as a nation … the fact that it is not controlled would lead to worse products.
“We already have a huge illicit trade in the UK. So it will just implode because it’s not going to stop people smoking.”
Sandeep Bains, who owns Welcome Faversham in Kent, concurred. ”They [the government] can’t even stamp out the illicit trade now, let alone if they were to drive the whole thing underground,” he said. ”It’s about educating people, about taking the time and energy to make people understand, especially the youngsters, that there’s serious health implications of smoking, and naturally, if they’re well educated they will make better decisions which will lead them away from smoking.”
Smokers’ rights group Forest was equally damning of the proposals. Simon Clark, director of the Forest, said: “The health risks of smoking are well known but it’s a legitimate habit that millions of adults enjoy.
“Banning the sale of cigarettes to future generations won’t stop people smoking. It would merely drive the sale of tobacco underground and into the hands of criminal gangs.”
He added: “The current smoking rates are the lowest on record and an increasing number of smokers are switching voluntarily to reduced risk products like e-cigarettes without government intervention.
“Given all the problems facing the NHS and the country at large, it’s laughable to think that tackling smoking might be considered a priority for a future Labour government.”
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