Preet Kaur Gill MP welcomes Government's testing regime for vapes

26th March 2025 – The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will give the Government new powers to set up a testing regime for vapes, ensuring products can be regularly checked to confirm they are safe for consumers.

The new proposals, suggested by Preet Kaur Gill during the last Parliament and rejected by the Conservative Government, will give the Government powers to regulate retailers and require vapes and nicotine products be tested.

Unlike with cigarettes, there is no current testing regime for vapes, nicotine products, heated tobacco products, or herbal products, meaning dodgy goods can be approved by the British regulator and end up on the market.

Preet Kaur Gill MP called for a testing regime for vaping products after research by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute revealed an estimated one in three vapes on the market were illicit. Research by Inter Scientific also found many vapes seized from shop shelves contained heavy metals and dangerous substances, including lead and anti-freeze, increasing the risk of harm to users. Over a third of products marketed as “nicotine-free” were also found to contain nicotine.

Earlier this year, in Birmingham, trading standards and the police led raids on retailers, where they seized nearly £6 million pounds worth of illicit vapes, tobacco and drugs. One raid alone, the biggest ever in Birmingham, clawed £1 million pounds of goods out of the hands of criminals.

Shocking research by Labour found that last year 50 per cent of UK councils reported instances of cigarettes or tobacco products being sold to minors. To protect children and crack down on these illegal sales, the Government has confirmed it is also taking forward new £200 on-the-spot fines in England and Wales for breaches of age of sale restrictions.

Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, said:

“On the Conservatives’ watch, children were getting hooked on nicotine and sold vapes that contained dangerous chemicals like lead and anti-freeze. Vapes marketed as 0% nicotine were found to actually contain nicotine, and addicting a generation of children to this harmful substance.

“Our strengthened Tobacco and Vapes Bill will tackle the illicit trade of tobacco products and free our children from a life imprisoned by addiction.”

Other measures introduced by the Labour Government to strengthen the Tobacco and Vapes Bill include closing loopholes on vape vending machines and banning vape advertising, promotions and sponsorships.

This week, the Government has also announced a £10 million boost for Trading Standards will bolster operations in local communities for the next year, funding an expected 80 more apprentice enforcement officers to stop harmful tobacco and vape products finding their way into neighbourhood shops and stopping underage sales.

ENDS

Notes to editors: