Smoking should be banned and the sugar tax extended to include fruit juice and milkshakes, George Osborne has said. In 2016, the Conservative former chancellor announced a sugar tax on soft drinks such as Coca-Cola and Irn Bru, claiming the money would be used to provide more sports funding for primary schools. It was not levied on milk-based drinks or fruit juices. Now Osborne believes Rishi Sunak’s government should go a step further and tax biscuits and cakes, and raise the legal age for tobacco to help reduce levels of obesity and cancer. Last year, New Zealand introduced a steadily rising smoking age to stop those aged 14 and under from being able to legally buy cigarettes in world-first legislation to outlaw smoking for the next generation. Discussing a potential smoking ban, Osborne told the Times Health Commission: “You basically phase it out. Of course you’re going to have lots of problems with illegal smoking but you have lots of problems with other illegal activities. “It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to ban them and police them and make it less readily available. I thought that was a compelling public health intervention.”
Earlier this year, Labour said it was considering plans to phase out smoking for young people. Other areas under consideration include minimum alcohol pricing and the soft drink and junk food industries. The shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, said in January: “The New Zealand government are doing it. We want to see how that works … We’re going to have to think radically. What the government have done to the NHS is a disgrace. It’s going to take time to fix it and fresh radical thinking and that’s what Labour’s about.” When Osborne introduced the sugar tax as chancellor, he faced heavy criticism from Conservative backbenchers, who described the idea as “illiberal and patronising”. The Tory MP Will Quince described the move as “nanny statism at its worst”. Osborne told the Times the “anti-nanny state Conservatives” were “not worth listening to”. Likening the sugar tax to the smoking ban in pubs or seatbelt laws, he added: “They have all been opposed at the time by vociferous lobbies. It’s taken quite a lot of political courage by the different administrations to get them done. But no one now would reintroduce smoking in pubs and no one now would say you shouldn’t wear a seatbelt.” Osborne said radical healthcare reform could only be achieved by a Labour government as the Tories were “absolutely terrified when it comes to the NHS because its going to be constantly accused of things in a secret plan, so it’s actually rather timid in regards to healthcare reform”. He cited Tony Blair’s government as “far and away the most audacious and productive period of health reform” in his political life. The government target of getting the adult smoking rate down to 5% or under in England by 2030 is widely expected to be missed without drastic action. The charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) has estimated smoking costs the NHS £2.4bn and a further £1.2bn for social care. Welcoming Labour’s proposals the charity’s chief executive, Deborah Arnott, said: “Tackling smoking is key as it is still a leading cause of premature death and disease, responsible for half the difference in life expectancy between rich and poor.”