Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the tobacco excise regime on smoking prevalence since 2021.

Tobacco duty aims to both raise revenue and reduce harm to public health by discouraging smoking. High duty rates make tobacco less affordable and are a proven way to reduce smoking prevalence and have helped reduce the percentage of adult smokers in the UK from 26% in 2000 to 11.9% in 2023. The ONS survey on adult smoking habits 2023 can be found here.

Adult smoking habits in the UK - Office for National Statistics