Thérèse Coffey took over as secretary of state for health and social care on September 6. Photo credit: Chris McAndrew under Creative Commons 3.0
Speculation is rife that the UK government will not be pursuing its anti-smoking plans announced this summer.
Earlier this year, Javed Khan published his tobacco control review Making Smoking Obsolete, often referred to as the Khan review, outlining a path to a smokefree UK by 2030 and included strategies for further lowering smoking rates such as increasing the legal smoking age by a year every year, a complete tobacco sales ban online or in supermarkets, and encouraging smokers to switch to nicotine replacement products. The Khan review was commissioned by then-health secretary Sajid Javid.
The Guardian reports the government’s promise to deliver a tobacco control action plan in response to the Khan review by the end of this year is being broken by current health secretary and deputy prime minister, Thérèse Coffey.
According to The Guardian, Coffey smokes and “has previously accepted hospitality from the tobacco industry.” She also has a record of voting against a number of anti-smoking laws, including the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, the ban on smoking in vehicles carrying minors, and the need for cigarette plain packaging.
The publication also laid some of the blame for the broken promise on prime minister Liz Truss, who they say is close friends with Coffey and a “longstanding sceptic about tobacco control who has often opposed legislation to clamp down on smoking”, and who counts former tobacco lobbyists as part of her team of advisors.
Citing government insiders, the publication says there is speculation that some of the proposals that would have been part of the government’s plan may still appear in a 10-year cancer plan that ministers still intend to publish, but there is “no chance” Khan’s recommendations to reduce smoking will “ever” be acted on.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it was inaccurate to say the tobacco control plan was being dropped, but also did not say if or when the plan would be published. DHSC also said that it may still act on some of Khan’s suggestions.