Tory MP: Disposable vapes ban will lead to children ‘smoking behind bike sheds’

Children will go back to “smoking behind the bike sheds” as a result of the Government’s ban on disposable vapes, a Conservative former minister has said.

Sir Christopher Chope claimed that 29% of current vapers would be driven back into smoking, but this was disputed by environment minister Mary Creagh.

Ms Creagh told the Commons that most people who use single-use vapes will either “stop smoking, switch to reusable vapes or non-vape products” following the ban.

During a debate on the ban, Sir Christopher said: “In my view, if children are going to make a choice between vaping and smoking, it’s better that they should go vaping rather than smoking.

“One of the unintended consequences which may flow from these regulations is that an increasing number of children, instead of using vaping products, will actually go back to smoking behind the bike sheds, or whatever its modern equivalent is.”

Intervening, Liberal Democrat MP Lee Dillon said he disagreed with Sir Christopher’s correlation between banning disposable vapes and an increase in children smoking.

The Newbury MP spoke of his own experience of vaping, saying: “I am a vaper. I smoked until my wife was due to have our first son, and used vapes to be able to give up cigarettes.

“I’ve made my own vape juice before, so I knew exactly what was going into it, and I’ve also used disposable vapes. But actually, now I use a reusable vape.

“And a disposable vape is about £6.99 a unit, two for £10, something like that, whereas actually with my reusable vape, my monthly bill is about £35.

“So it’s actually cheaper for me to use a reusable vape than it is a disposable, but I can also get the same flavours now in a reusable vape, as I could do in a disposable vape.

“So I’m not sure that I would agree that the correlation between removing disposable vapes, and then a prevalence in children smoking would actually come out, because they could use a reusable vape nowadays, and get the same flavours that are in a disposable vape.”

Following this, Sir Christopher raised concerns that 29% of current vapers will revert to smoking, as opposed to vaping, but this was deemed “incorrect” by the minister.

The MP for Christchurch said: “I’m concerned about the 29% of current vapers who are going to be driven back into smoking, and is that a good thing for them or for public health? I don’t think that it is.

“(Mr Dillon) has referred to his background as a smoker and now a vaper. I have to admit to never having smoked, and never having vaped, so I come to this House with an enormous amount of wisdom and experience on this subject.

“I’m driven by the fact that both my parents, they smoked very heavily as a result of their experiences in the war, when there wasn’t much else to do when you weren’t fighting the Germans, other than smoking.

“And as a result of that, that was very bad for their health, and it was for so many people of that generation. So I don’t wish to encourage people to smoke.”

Ms Creagh said: “(Sir Christopher) mentioned the 29% of users reverting to smoking once the ban comes in, this is incorrect to suggest that the single-use vape ban will see a surge in smoking rates.

“The (impact) assessment states, we expect most single-use vape users to either stop smoking, switch to reusable vapes, or non-vape products, nicotine replacement therapies, such as nicotine patches and gum.

“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill recently introduced by Government takes strong action to strengthen enforcement on illegal vapes.”

The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024 was passed by MPs.