Crackdown will see vapes offered in plain packaging and out of sight in outlets
Vapes are to be treated the same as cigarettes after a major crackdown announced by the government today. Health Secretary James Murray tells the Mirror “we want them safely behind the counter and out of sight”
Brightly coloured vape displays in newsagents would be a thing of the past(Image: UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Vapes could be put into plain packaging and sold under the counter in a major crackdown announced by the government today.
Health Secretary James Murray has told the Mirror that it plans to treat e-cigarettes the same as cigarettes, working with devolved governments to move them out of sight in shops across the UK.
Cigarette papers and cigars would also be put in plain packaging and all displays of tobacco products would be removed from duty-free settings and airports.
Writing in the Mirror today, Mr Murray said: “Today, we launch proposals to tackle youth vaping. Plain packaging. Simple flavour names. Black, white or grey devices instead of flashy colours.”
He added: “Just like tobacco products, we want them safely behind the counter and out of sight in shops and airports. The companies behind these devices know exactly what they are doing. Some operators in the industry continue to use cynical marketing tactics, targeting addictive products at children, vulnerable groups and economically deprived communities.
“Kids should be enjoying their childhood, they should not be a recruitment ground for nicotine addiction. This crass exploitation of our nation’s young people must end.”
It comes after the Tobacco and Vapes Act was passed earlier this year granting the government sweeping powers, including to phase out tobacco smoking for younger generations with an age restriction that increases annually. Today’s announcement confirms how ministers plan to use them to tackle youth vaping.
Around one million 11–17-year-olds in Great Britain reported trying vaping in 2025 and evidence suggests youngsters are drawn to e-cigarettes by colourful packaging, prominent shop displays and sweet flavours.
The UK government and the devolved governments today launches a consultation including white packaging with restrictions on text colour, imagery, branding and standardised product information. Flavour names will be kept to simple recognisable descriptions and vape devices will be kept to white, black or grey.
Mr Murray said: “Parents across the country are worried. On high streets, in shopping centres and online, children are being lured into vaping by brightly coloured packaging and sweet-shop flavours, with some products designed to look more like toys.
“Let’s be clear. Vapes can play an important role in helping adult smokers quit. Used as part of treatment plans or a personal commitment to break a smoking habit, they are less harmful than cigarettes. But that doesn’t change the fact that vapes should never be used by children or young people, or marketed to them – deliberately or by stealth.”
He added: “We want a generation free to make healthy choices, not one overwhelmed by marketeers selling vaping as a lifestyle choice.”
Professor Steve Turner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “As paediatricians, we are deeply concerned by the insidious marketing practices used by tobacco and vaping companies to target our future generations.
“For those of us working with children every day, it is clear that only strong and meaningful regulation will protect them from the harms associated with nicotine addiction.”
