The impact of Brexit on tobacco control in the UK

Brexit offers the UK an opportunity to strengthen its already highly effective tobacco control measures by creating greater flexibility to respond to tobacco industry actions and market developments, according to new research from the University of Bath.

The UK will have more scope to adopt different types of tobacco taxes and more direct pricing policies.

Brexit: A boon for British public health policy?

Furthermore, as 96% of UK tobacco products have come from the European Union in recent years, a no-deal Brexit is likely to increase the price of cigarettes and tobacco in general. The UK Treasury has also committed to implementing new import tariffs on tobacco from 1 January next year. If these tariffs are passed on to consumers, the average price of a typical pack of 20 cigarettes will increase by around 30 pence and that of a 30g pouch of rolling tobacco by 1.77 pounds. Another potential benefit of Brexit for tobacco control is the end of imports of cheap, duty-free tobacco into the European Union (EU) and the reduction of smuggling thanks to tighter border controls.

The benefits of Brexit flexibility will not extend to Northern Ireland, which will be considered part of the EU customs union, and where imports to and from the EU will be duty-free. Northern Ireland will also retain the current photographic warnings on tobacco packs, while the rest of the UK will use Australian images.

The evolution of tobacco control in the hands of the British government

“Brexit offers an opportunity to improve public health in the UK, but also poses a threat if the rules are relaxed,” said Dr. Rob Branston of the University of Bath’s School of Management, lead author of the study “What does Brexit mean for UK tobacco control,” recently published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.

Indeed, the authors argue that the potential benefits of Brexit for tobacco control in the UK will only be realized if the government seizes this opportunity by continuing to prioritize tobacco control policy. Co-author Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking on Health (ASH), said: “With 14.1% of the UK population smoking in 2019, tobacco control must remain a public health priority if the government is to make our country a smoke-free nation within the next decade.”