Spotlight on Policy, from the New Statesman - Can Britain quit smoking for good? | Sponsored

Can Britain quit smoking for good? | Sponsored

04/24/24 • 27 min

Spotlight on Policy, from the New Statesman

MPs have voted to back Rishi Sunak's progressive smoking ban. Can it work?

The Tobacco & Vapes Bill includes new legislation to increase the smoking age by one year, every year, banning the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 1st January 2009. MPs have voted the bill through its second reading and it is now in the committee stage.

The tobacco firm Philip Morris International have pledged to move away from selling cigarettes, and instead focus on heated tobacco products. In this episode, Becky Slack is joined by Dr. Moira Gilchrist of Philip Morris International, to discuss the company's plans for a "smoke-free future" and whether Britain - and tobacco firms - really can kick cigarettes for good.

This episode was paid for by Philip Morris International. The New Statesman retains full editorial control.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MPs have voted to back Rishi Sunak's progressive smoking ban. Can it work?

This episode was paid for by Philip Morris International. The New Statesman retains full editorial control.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Where do we get the money to fix the world's biggest problems? | Sponsored

The world is currently facing multiple crises, from geopolitical conflicts to pandemics and climate change. But amidst this turbulence, international aid budgets are being stretched as domestic issues take precedence. The UK has cut its overseas aid budget significantly, from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of gross national income. Meanwhile, low-income countries need more support than ever, as they deal with the fall out of wars, extreme poverty, natural disasters and humanitarian issues. The costs involved are huge, and while aid still has a role to play, we need to look beyond grants to unlock funding on a bigger scale to fix these problems.

In this sponsored podcast, host and freelance journalist Emma Haslett is joined by Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham and chair of the cross-party international development parliamentary committee; James Mwangi, founder of Climate Action Platform for Africa, an organisation working to unlock Africa's potential as a global hub for climate action; and Hannah Ryder, CEO at Development Reimagined, an Africa-led and women-led international development consultancy.

Focusing on the African continent, they explore the need to reform global financial institutions, and how the UK can develop new models of financial support that rely less on aid and more on partnership and collaboration with low-income countries.

This podcast is sponsored by One, a not-for-profit international development organisation which campaigns to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030.

Join the fight for a more equal future: visit one.org.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

How can life sciences investment make the UK healthier? | Sponsored

The UK is on course for a huge rise in preventable illness. The Health Foundation charity predicts that by 2040, one in five adults will be living with a serious condition, such as cancer, dementia or heart disease. Meanwhile, economic activity is stagnating, with roughly 2.8 million people currently out of work due to ill health, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Our world-leading life sciences sector has the capacity to help reverse this trend. In 2021 alone, it contributed £43.3bn to the UK economy, and supported 646,000 jobs. With the right investment, it could add an additional £68bn to GDP over the next 30 years, create 85,000 more jobs and result in a 40 per cent decrease in disease burden across the UK.

This episode, in partnership with professional services firm PwC, explores how greater investment into vital disease areas such as cancer, obesity and immunology could make British society physically and financially healthier.

Emma Haslett is joined by Chi Onwurah, the shadow minister for science, research and innovation; Dr Dan Mahoney, chair of the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) and the government’s life sciences investment envoy; and Stephen Aherne, pharmaceutical and life sciences leader at PwC UK.

If you enjoyed this podcast you can find more of Spotlight's policy reporting in our standalone Spotlight podcast feed, or at newstatesman.com/spotlight

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