The UK government is intensifying its crackdown on illegal tobacco and vaping products, with a £10 million funding boost for Trading Standards. This investment, announced as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill nears becoming law, aims to support local enforcement efforts over the next year by recruiting and training around 80 apprentice enforcement officers.
These new officers will work to disrupt the supply of illegal tobacco and vapes into shops and prevent underage sales. Trading Standards teams, often in collaboration with local police, play a crucial role in dismantling organized crime groups involved in the illicit vape trade through targeted raids and the use of sniffer dogs.
The funding complements existing initiatives, such as HMRC and Border Force's £100 million Illicit Tobacco Strategy, which targets smuggling and distribution networks. Additionally, a new vaping duty set to launch in 2026 will bring added enforcement powers, including civil and criminal penalties, and the hiring of over 200 compliance officers.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to create the world's first smoke-free generation by banning tobacco sales to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, and introducing stricter regulations to keep addictive products away from children. The Bill also includes new £200 on-the-spot fines in England and Wales for violating age restrictions and plans for a licensing system for retailers selling tobacco, vape, and nicotine products across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
These measures are part of the government's broader Plan for Change, which emphasizes prevention as a key strategy to ease NHS pressures and make streets safer by targeting organized crime.
