National President expresses concerns about proposed tobacco and vape licence

27/10/2025

The Fed’s National President Hetal Patel has expressed concerns about the proposed tobacco and vape licence which could be introduced as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is currently being considered by the House of Lords.

Unlike the alcohol licencing regime which has been in place for two decades and which it could broadly imitate, the tobacco and vape licence regime would likely not incorporate grandfathering rights, potentially creating great uncertainty as local authorities would have the right to limit sales based on an uncertain framework, impacting responsible retailers.

The Fed has backed other measures to restrict access to tobacco, which has seen a sharp drop in use in recent years, with ONS data indicating a fall from about 45 per cent in adult smoking in 1974, to about 11.9 per cent in 2023. This is partly caused by the switch to vapes which would also be affected by the licensing regime.

Writing in RN Magazine this week, Mr Patel said: “As an organisation, the Fed is strongly opposed to the licensing element of the bill. Our members are already subject to stringent regulations and operate safeguarding policies such as Challenge 25.”

The Fed will be contributing to the ongoing government consultation on the Bill, calling for a rethink of the licensing measure.