Meetings and Seminars

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health held its 2024 AGM on 19 March 2024.

The election of the following Officers was unanimous. Those who were unable to attend confirmed their preference via email in advance.

• Bob Blackman MP was elected as Chairman.

The following were elected as Vice-Chairs:

• Lord Rennard
• Mary Foy MP
• Lord Young of Cookham
  

It was agreed that Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) will continue to provide the secretariat for the APPG.

Attendees reviewed the income and expenditure statement which was approved and signed off by the APPG Chairman. This can be viewed here.

The formal business of the APPG was followed by brief updates and discussion on the following topics:

• Tobacco and vapes bill
• Budget measures
• Disposable vapes ban

Download the minutes here.

On 13th March 2024, the APPG on Smoking and Health hosted a ‘smoking survivors’ drop-in event in Parliament. Taking place on National No Smoking Day, the event brought together people whose lives have been impacted by smoking and young people who will benefit from the Government’s smokefree generation policy. It was an opportunity for MPs to meet local people and hear about why raising the age of sale for tobacco and creating a smokefree generation matters to them. The press release is here.

Attendees heard from:

• Bob Blackman MP, Chairman, APPG on Smoking and Health
• The Rt. Hon Andrea Leadsom MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Start for Life and Primary Care
• Cllr Jim Dickson, Cabinet Member for Healthier Communities with Lambeth Council and Chair of the London smokefree councillor network
• Linda Chambers, Smoking Survivor
• Cathy Hunt, Smoking Survivor

Photos from the event are available here.

Download the minutes here.

On the 12th of December 2023, the APPG on Smoking and Health and the APPG on Baby Loss co-hosted an event in Parliament to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group. The event was also an opportunity to launch the Challenge Group’s manifesto for smokefree beginnings, which sets out recommendations to accelerate progress in reducing rates of smoking during pregnancy. The press release is here.

Attendees heard from:

• Bob Blackman MP, Chairman, APPG on Smoking and Health
  
• Rt Hon Anne Milton, former Public Health Minister who set the ‘challenge’ which led to the formation of the Challenge Group
• Dr Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands, Co-chair of the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group
• Preet Gill MP, Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
• Francine Bates, former Co-Chair and founding member of the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group, former Chief Executive, Lullaby Trust
• Clare Livingstone, Professional Policy Advisor, Royal College of Midwives
• Sarah Price, Director for Public Health, NHS England
• Cherilyn Mackrory MP, Co-Chair, APPG on Baby Loss
• Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Start for Life and Primary Care

Download the minutes here.

On the 9th November 2023, the APPG on Smoking and Health hosted a parliamentary event to launch the APPG's Manifesto for a Smokefree Future, available here. The press release is here.

Speakers included:

• The event was chaired by Mary Kelly Foy MP, Vice Chair of the APPG. Mary welcomed the recent Government proposals to create smokefree generation and tackle youth vaping but highlighted the need to go further if we are to achieve the Government’s smokefree 2030 ambition. She added that to achieve this ambition we would need much greater investment, which could be achieved through the implementation of a ‘polluter pays’ levy.
• Dr JR Branston, Associate Professor of Business Economics at the University of Bath spoke of the excess profits of tobacco manufacturers and how this could be addressed through regulation.
• Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of ASH discussed the development of the “polluter pays” model and how specifically the approach would work with the tobacco industry.
• Mitch Zeller, former Director or the FDA Center for Tobacco Products spoke about the work done by the FDA Center for Tobacco Products during his tenure.
• Howard Reed, Director, Landman Economics explained how his cost benefit and public finance model of smoking was used to estimate the benefit to public finances of the recommendations in the APPG tobacco manifesto.

Photos from the event are available here.

Download the minutes here.

On Wednesday 19th July 2023, the APPG on Smoking and Health hosted a parliamentary event to mark the fourth anniversary of the Government’s Smokefree 2030 ambition, announced in the prevention green paper. The meeting was an opportunity to reflect on the progress made so far, whilst providing a forum for strategizing on what still needs to be done to achieve the Smokefree ambition.

Parliamentarians and other guests heard from a number of speakers:

• Bob Blackman MP, Chairman of the APPG on Smoking and Health, welcomed the speakers and highlighted the progress that has been made in reducing smoking rates, and the need to go further and faster if the Smokefree 2030 ambition is to be achieved. He also paid tribute to the Smoking survivors campaign launched by Fresh as an example of the kind of hard-hitting mass media campaigns which are needed across the country.
• Steve Brine MP, Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee reflected on his experience as former Public Health Minister, calling for a new strategy, which builds on the past, to bring greater ambition to tackling smoking rates.
• Neil O’Brien MP, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health spoke of the importance of rolling out government schemes such as ‘swap to stop’ and national financial incentives for pregnant people, both of which would greatly support smokers to quit.
• Shadow Public Health Minister, Andrew Gwynne MP, set out Labour’s support of the Smokefree ambition and reflected on the strong cross-party support for tobacco control, and the role of both Labour and Conservative governments in taking us closer to ending smoking.
• Dr Javid Khan OBE, author of the 2022 independent review of smoking policies reiterated that the fifteen recommendations that he made in his report were not ‘pick and mix’ and urged the government to take seriously all recommendations, warning that without doing so, the Smokefree 2030 goal will not be achieved.
• Sue Mountain, former smoker and three-time cancer survivor, reflected on the lies she was told for years by tobacco companies that supported a decades long addiction which led her to a cancer diagnosis. She highlighted the importance of mass media campaigns to educate the public on the health impacts that smoking has on individuals and their families.
• Prof Bola Owolabi, GP and Director of health inequalities at NHS England spoke of the importance of a strategic alliance between ICBs and Local Authorities to ensure that smokers can access the support they need to quit. She also highlighted the centrality of smoking to the Core20PLUS5 approach to reducing health inequalities.

You can see photos from the event here.

Download the minutes here.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health held its 2023 AGM on 28 March 2023.

The election of the following Officers was unanimous. Those who were unable to attend confirmed their preference via email in advance.

• Bob Blackman MP was elected as Chairman

The following were elected as Vice-Chairs:

• Alex Cunningham MP
• Lord Rennard
• Lord Faulkner of Worcester
• Baroness Finlay of Llandaff
• Mary Foy MP
• Lord Young of Cookham
• Lord Hunt of of Kings Heath
• Maggie Throup MP

It was agreed that Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) will continue to provide the secretariat for the APPG.

The formal business of the AGM was followed by a brief update on the following topics:

• Potential upcoming government response to the Khan review: making smoking obsolete
• 10-minute rule Bill on retail licensing for tobacco
• Smokefree pavement licences amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill
• Update from ASH on youth vaping
• Backbench debate held on No Smoking Day 9th March
  

Download the minutes here.

On 1 November 2022, the APPG on Smoking and Health hosted a hosted a parliamentary event to mark the publication of a new report from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH): ‘Regulation is not a dirty word: Local retailers’ views of proposals for new tobacco laws’.

The meeting was chaired by Lord Rennard, Vice Chair of the APPG, and attended by professionals from trading standards, public health and the charitable sector. Attendees and APPG members discussed issues related to tobacco regulation and enforcement, as well as possible next steps for tobacco legislation.

Attendees heard from:

• Lord Rennard, APPG Vice-Chair, who provided an introduction to the report.
• Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive at ASH, who outlined the presented on the report’s main findings.
• Local retailer, John McClury, who shared his experience as an independent retailer in support of increased tobacco regulation.
• Bob Blackman MP, APPG Chairman, who opened and closed the APPG business.

In addition, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath was elected as a Vice-Chair of the APPG.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health held its 2022 AGM on 31 March 2022.

The election of the following Officers was unanimous. Those who were unable to attend confirmed their preference via email in advance.

• Bob Blackman MP was elected as Chairman.

The following were elected as Vice-Chairs:

• Alex Cunningham MP
• Lord Rennard
• Lord Faulkner
• Baroness Finlay
• Mary Foy MP
• Lord Young of Cookham

It was agreed that Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) will continue to provide the secretariat for the APPG.

The formal business of the AGM was followed by a brief update on the Health and Care Bill, Javid Khan’s Independent Review of tobacco control, and the forthcoming Tobacco Control Plan.

On Wednesday 9th March 2022, the APPG on Smoking and Health hosted a parliamentary event to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and No Smoking Day 2022 at the Houses of Parliament. The event was a great opportunity for the Public Health Minister to hear leading figures from across health and local government affirm their commitment to securing the Government’s goal of a smokefree country by 2030.

Parliamentarians and other guests heard from a number of speakers:

• Bob Blackman MP, Chairman of the APPG on Smoking and Health, welcomed the speakers and highlighted the need to go further and faster to achieve the Smokefree 2030 ambition
• The Public Health Minister, Maggie Throup MP, reiterated the Government’s commitment to publishing a new Tobacco Control Plan this year with stop smoking services at its heart
• Andrew Gwynne MP, Shadow Public Health Minister, highlighted the strong cross-party support for the Smokefree 2030 ambition
• Cllr Nick Forbes, Leader of Newcastle City Council, and Prof Yvonne Doyle, NHS Medical Director for Public Health, talked about the work that local councils and the NHS are doing to tackle smoking in communities across the country
• Cllr Alison Todd, Surrey County Council, spoke powerfully about her own experience as an ex-smoker who only quit after she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and her commitment to helping others to understand the harms from smoking and the benefits of quitting
• Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of ASH, reflected on the progress made in reducing smoking prevalence since the founding of ASH.

Photos from the event are available here.

On Wednesday 9th June 2021, the APPG on Smoking and Health held a roundtable to launch the APPG’s new report: Delivering a Smokefree 2030: The All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health recommendations for the Tobacco Control Plan 2021. The report calls for further regulations, increased funding levied from the tobacco industry on a polluter pays principle, and investment in the communities where smoking has the biggest impact.

Bob Blackman MP, Chairman of the APPG on Smoking and Health, welcomed the announcement from the Public Health Minister, Jo Churchill MP, that the Government was developing a new Tobacco Control Plan for publication in 2021 and emphasised the APPG’s support for the Government’s smokefree 2030 ambition.

The Minister thanked the APPG for “keeping the pressure up” and welcomed the APPG’s recommendations for the next Tobacco Control Plan. She reiterated that the new Plan would be published before the end of 2021 and highlighted her particular passion for supporting mums to have smokefree pregnancies. The Minister acknowledged the need for further investment to deliver a smokefree 2030 and committed to considering the APPG’s recommendations.

Parliamentarians and other guests heard from a number of speakers:

• Jo Churchill MP, Minister for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care
• Dr Ruth Sharrock, Respiratory Consultant and Clinical Lead for Treating Tobacco Dependency for the ICS North East and North Cumbria
• Professor Linda Bauld, Director, SPECTRUM Research Consortium: Policy recommendations for the Tobacco Control Plan
• Dr Henry Featherstone, Policy Adviser: How to fund the Tobacco Control Plan using a Smokefree 2030 Fund
• Sue Mountain, ex-smoker and survivor of smoking-related cancer

The report recommendations were discussed in Parliament the following day (10th June) during a Backbench Business Debate led by Bob Blackman MP and Mary Foy MP, to which the Minister responded. You can read the transcript here.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health held its 2021 AGM on 20 April 2021.

The election of the following Officers was unanimous.

• Bob Blackman MP was elected as Chairman.
• Ian Mearns MP was elected as Treasurer.

The following were elected as Vice-Chairs:

• Alex Cunningham MP
• Lord Rennard
• Lord Faulkner
• Baroness Finlay
• Mary Foy MP
• Lord Young of Cookham

The formal business of the AGM was followed by presentations on the publication of the next Tobacco Control Plan and upcoming public health and NHS reforms, and tobacco industry lobbying.

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health: Activity from January 2020 to April 2021

View AGM minutes

On Wednesday 10th February 2021, the APPG on Smoking and Health and the APPG on Baby Loss held a joint meeting, marking the launch of a new report from ASH and the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group, Getting back on track: delivering a smokefree start for every child. The report sets out the action needed to turn the Government’s ambitions on smoking in pregnancy and a smokefree society into a reality.

Bob Blackman MP, Chairman on the APPG on Smoking and Health, welcomed the recent announcement from the Public Health Minister, Jo Churchill MP, of a new Tobacco Control Plan to be published in summer 2021. The Minister emphasised the central role of the new strategy in delivering the smokefree 2030 ambition and reiterated her support for tackling smoking in pregnancy.

Alex Norris MP, Shadow Public Health Minister, highlighted the importance of driving down smoking in pregnancy rates as part of rebuilding the public’s health. The meeting was closed by Cherilyn Mackrory MP, Co-chair of the APPG on Baby Loss, who shared her own experience of baby loss and spoke in support of working cross-party to deliver a smokefree start for every child.

You can watch the recording and view the full list of speakers here

You can view the report here.