UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Tory peer Lord Vaizey proposed delaying a heated tobacco ban weeks after a Philip Morris-funded trip to its Swiss lab, raising lobbying concerns.
As reported by The Guardian, weeks after a tobacco firm funded his Swiss trip, a Tory peer called for a delay to the UK’s planned ban on heated tobacco products.
What’s delaying the UK’s plan to phase out heated tobacco?
A new UK bill aims to raise the minimum purchase age for tobacco year by year, positioning the country as a global leader in ending cigarette use.
Lord Vaizey’s amendment could delay the heated tobacco ban. It calls for additional studies on the possible health risks of heated tobacco compared to traditional cigarettes.
Vaizey visited Philip Morris International’s research centre in Neuchâtel, Switzerland six weeks before his proposal. The tour, funded by PMI, focused on their leading heated tobacco product, IQOS.
Details about the trip’s cost remain undisclosed, and neither Vaizey nor PMI confirmed if other UK MPs attended.
What did Lord Vaizey say about heated tobacco during the Lords’ debate?
Vaizey took part in the House of Lords debate on the tobacco and vapes bill on April 23, three weeks after his trip.
During the debate, he disclosed he had visited Philip Morris’ research centre, The Cube, which has also welcomed politicians from Finland and Colombia.
He told the House he had met researchers working on heated tobacco during his visit.
Vaizey stated,
“There is an argument which says that people should be able to access nicotine if it can be done in a safe way.”
He added,
“I want to say something controversial: a lot of the tone of this debate looks backwards at the sins of the big tobacco. It does not perhaps acknowledge – though that might be too kind a word – that big tobacco has perhaps moved forward in terms of heated tobacco.”
Six weeks following his trip to Switzerland, he tabled an amendment on May 14 aimed at delaying the ban on heated tobacco devices like IQOS.
Vaizey called on the health secretary to “assess the harm to human health associated with the use of tobacco-related devices” and compare these risks to those from cigarettes.
What impact did PMI’s legal challenge have on the UK tobacco and vape bill?
The proposed amendment seems to revive parts of a legal challenge Philip Morris made in 2023. The challenge was against the tobacco and vapes bill, which the previous government introduced.
Philip Morris International raised concerns about whether the government’s consultation was truly “meaningful,” arguing that the decision was already made before the process began.
The challenge also tried to narrow the ban by excluding heated tobacco products. These products use devices that heat tobacco at a lower temperature than regular cigarettes.
PMI withdrew its challenge after government lawyers said that comparing the harms of cigarettes and heated tobacco was not relevant.
The ban raises the minimum age for buying tobacco by one year each year. Because of this gradual change, no one affected would ever have had the opportunity to choose between the two nicotine delivery methods.
Whitehall sources said the legal challenge was a way to delay actions. Philip Morris’s IQOS heated tobacco product sells around 140 million units a year and has surpassed Marlboro as the company’s leading product by net revenue.
What did Martin McKee say about the heated tobacco debate?
Martin McKee, professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, accused Vaizey of echoing the tobacco industry’s strategy.
He said heated tobacco products should be compared with the option of not smoking, rather than with traditional cigarettes.
UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill
- Smoke-free generation: Ban tobacco sales to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, phasing out smoking for future generations
- Vape restrictions:
- Bans disposable vapes (effective 1 June 2025)
- Limits vape flavours, packaging, and advertising to reduce appeal to children
- Prohibits sales to under-18s and bans proxy purchases
- Licensing & enforcement:
- Introduces retail licenses for tobacco/vape sales and £200 on-the-spot fines for underage sales
- Strengthens Trading Standards’ powers to seize illegal products
- Smoke-free spaces: Expands bans to outdoor areas like schools, playgrounds, and hospitals (subject to consultation)
- Public health goals: Aims to reduce smoking-related deaths (80,000/year) and youth vaping (25% of 11-15-year-olds tried vaping in 2023)