Tobacco and Vapes Bill Report Stage: New Clause 19

What happened: On 26 March 2025, the House of Commons voted on New Clause 19, a proposed addition to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at Report Stage. The clause was defeated by 307 votes to 159. New Clause 19 sought to require annual government reporting on the rate of illegal tobacco sales and the availability of illicit tobacco products, responding to concerns that the Bill's generational smoking ban would expand an already significant black market in tobacco.

Why it matters: The clause would have placed a statutory duty on the government to monitor and report publicly on illicit tobacco sales each year. Supporters argued this evidence base was essential to understand whether the generational ban was pushing more smokers toward unregulated, potentially more harmful, black market products. Opponents, including the government, took the position that existing powers in the Bill were sufficient and that additional reporting requirements were unnecessary. In practical terms, the defeat means there is no new legal obligation on ministers to track or publish data on illegal tobacco market trends as the generational ban takes effect.

The politics: The vote divided sharply along party lines. All 304 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs present voted against the clause, while Conservatives provided the bulk of the 159 ayes, joined by all Liberal Democrats voting, Reform UK members, Plaid Cymru and the Democratic Unionist Party. The Greens sided with the government in opposition. This cross-party opposition alliance is notable given that the Bill itself passed its Third Reading on the same day by 366 votes to 41, demonstrating that the broader legislation commanded wide support while specific amendments remained contested. The black market concern was a recurring theme from Conservative and some independent voices throughout the day's proceedings, though the government resisted all such additions to the Bill's core framework.