The government is nearly a decade behind its goal of making England smoke-free by 2030

The government is nearly a decade behind its target of making Britain smoke-free by 2030, a damning report has warned.

Progress has slowed and more needs to be done to help smokers kick their deadly habit, analysis by Cancer Research UK suggests.

A country is considered “smoke-free” if no more than 5 percent of the adult population smokes.

However, the charity predicts that the target is unlikely to be met before 2039, based on current trends, as smoking will cause 1 million cancers by 2040.

According to Cancer Research UK, smoking rates have fallen over time, due to a combination of policy changes and increased awareness of the risks. But it warned that the downturn was not progressing quickly enough and was not spreading evenly across the population

Data up to 2018 showed the government had been on track for seven years, but the latest estimates suggest it has now risen to nine years.

While smoking rates are falling, they need to fall about 70 percent faster to meet the target, the report adds.

In 2021, 13 per cent of adults in England were current smokers, which equates to 5.4 million people.

That’s down from 13.8 percent last year and about 65 percent of men and 40 percent of women in the 1950s.

In June, the British government commissioned Javed Khan, former chief executive of Barnado’s, to conduct an independent inquiry into tobacco control.

She made a series of recommendations and set out a “step-by-step plan” to bring smoking below 5 per cent, but ministers have yet to act.

Cancer Research UK is now asking Health Secretary Steve Barclay to publish a plan setting out how the Government intends to meet these targets.

It says more action needs to be taken to discourage young people from smoking, with a consultation on raising the age at which someone can buy tobacco.

She also wants more money for tax- or industry-funded smoking cessation services.

Mr Barclay previously voted for a ban on smoking in cars in the presence of children and for the introduction of standard packaging in the UK.

He is credited with reducing the number of smokers, with 2.7 million fewer smokers today than in 2014, just before these measures were introduced in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “Smoking remains the biggest preventable cause of cancer and death in the UK, but the government has the power to change that.

“With bold action and strong leadership, we can ensure a tobacco-free future to reduce cancer and save lives.

“We call on Steve Barclay to continue his legacy of boldness on tobacco control to reduce the number of people dying from smoking-related cancer, relieve pressure on the NHS and the country billions of pounds to save a year .”

According to the Office for National Statistics’ annual population survey (blue line), just one in eight UK adults will be a regular user by 2021, down five per cent on the previous year. 4 million people over 16 now use e-cigarettes – a fifth in just 12 months (red line)

As of 2021, smoking was most common among 25-34-year-olds (15.8 percent) and least among those over 65 (8 percent), according to data from the Office for National Statistics

Javed Khan, a former director of a children’s charity tasked with finding ways to help Britain meet its smoke-free target, warned in August that Britain would miss the target by at least seven years. He proposed that the age limit for buying cigarettes in England, currently set at 18, be raised by 12 months every year until no one can buy a tobacco product.

Smoking rates remain higher among people aged 18 to 21 and in the most deprived communities, with the poorest parts of England having almost twice as many smoking-related cancers as the richest.

It is estimated that smoking accounts for around 500,000 hospital admissions in England each year and that smoking costs the economy £17 billion a year.

Of this, £2.4bn goes to the NHS, £1.19bn to the social care system and more than £13bn is lost in productivity costs through tobacco-related income loss, unemployment and premature death.

This is less than the £10.28bn raised in tobacco tax for the UK as a whole in 2021/2022, says Cancer Research UK.

Professor Charles Swanton, Chief Medical Officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “Quitting smoking is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions.

“But people rarely succeed on their own – they need support and the right tools to quit.

Despite this, budgets for smoking cessation services have been repeatedly cut and access varies widely across the country.

“If the Government is serious about a smoke-free England, action to create an environment that makes it easier for people to lead healthy lives will be crucial.

“It should take the recommendations of the Khan review and publish a plan to prevent people ever starting to smoke and help them to quit.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Health and Social Care said: “The government remains committed to its target of being smoke-free by 2030 and the measures we are taking are pushing the smoking rate in England to an all-time low.

“We will continue to enforce strict regulations on the sale of cigarettes that help smokers quit and protect future generations from this deadly addiction.

“We are currently exploring the wide range of recommendations in the Khan Review and how best to implement them – and next steps will be outlined in due course.”