Legislation to phase out smoking must be an urgent parliamentary priority following the UK election With the air of a naval commander torpedoing his own ship and then complaining about it sinking, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak recently expressed “disappointment” that his tobacco control legislation would not be deliverable after he called an early general election.1 The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would have progressively increased the age requirement for legally buying tobacco products across the UK and was hailed as a landmark public health measure; the Association of Directors of Public Health called it “the single most important piece of health legislation in a generation.”2 In April 2024, despite almost half of Conservative MPs abstaining or voting against it, the Bill passed its first House of Commons reading, with support from opposition parties ensuring an overwhelming majority.3 Progress towards the statute book was looking increasingly likely, despite inevitable industry efforts to oppose the proposals.4 Decades of evidence would suggest that the tobacco industry will therefore have greeted the election announcement with delight: an opportunity not to be lost. Faced with …

中文翻译：

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确保无烟发电


英国大选后，立法逐步禁止吸烟必须成为议会的当务之急。一位海军指挥官用鱼雷击中了自己的船，然后又抱怨船沉没，英国首相里希·苏纳克最近对他的烟草控制立法未能实现这一目标表示“失望”。 1《烟草和电子烟法案》将逐步提高在英国各地合法购买烟草产品的年龄要求，并被誉为一项具有里程碑意义的公共卫生措施；公共卫生总监协会称其为“一代人中最重要的一项卫生立法。”2 2024 年 4 月，尽管近一半的保守党议员弃权或投反对票，该法案还是在下议院首次获得通过，在反对党的支持下，确保获得压倒性多数。3 尽管业界不可避免地会努力反对这些提案，但在制定法规方面取得进展的可能性似乎越来越大。4 数十年的证据表明，烟草业将因此高兴地迎接选举公告：一个不容错过的机会。面对……