By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) – The British prime minister on Wednesday proposed raising the smoking age by one year every year, implying that tobacco will never be legally sold to children aged 14 or younger.
Rishi Sunak announced at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester that his government plans to raise the smoking age in order to build a "smoke-free generation."
Citing data, he said that smoking causes one in four cancer deaths in the country, killing 64,000 people a year and resulting in nearly one hospital admission every minute.
Although the number of people smoking has down by two-thirds since the 1970s, Sunak stressed that there is still a need for change to keep the next generations safe.
"So I propose that in future we raise the smoking age by one year every year, that means a 14-year-old today will never legally be sold a cigarette and that they and their generation can grow up smoke-free," he noted.
The premier added that he is confident the new proposal will be successful, just as it worked when the country raised the smoking age to 18 which saw smoking prevalence drop by 30% in that age group.
- 'NHS strike is all about politics'
The British prime minister also touched on the issue of patients’ waiting lists, which is one of his five top priorities to handle, saying it his "most pressing concern."
Mentioning the repeated strike actions by health workers, including junior doctors and hospital consultants, Sunak reminded that these walkouts have resulted in more than a million canceled appointments.
"We have met the recommendations of the independent Pay Review bodies for junior doctors and consultants in full," he said, adding that the government has negotiated and reached pay deals with over a million National Health Service (NHS) workers.
He went on to say that the government has cut their taxes on their pensions as they had requested, but that they still demanded "massive unaffordable pay rises."
"This strike is all about politics, not patience," noted Sunak, referring to this week's strike by junior doctors and consultants across England.
Referring to his government's 15-year workforce plan for the NHS, which was unveiled in June, the prime minister pledged to make changes that will allow the NHS to work "as productively as the best health care systems anywhere in the world."
- Small boat crossings down 20%
Concerning the issue of irregular migrants, another pressing issue for the government, the premier insisted on continuing his government's policies to curb migration.
"It is non-negotiable that you, the British people, decide who comes here and not criminal gangs," he said, adding that they have a moral obligation to defeat "this evil, and we will."
Sunak underlined that he has never pretended that stopping the boats would be easy, but that it is not impossible, as the government is proving it.
Small boat crossings are for the first time down 20% this year, he noted.
"Entry into Europe is up. We are by no means where we want to be but don't let anyone tell you we aren't making progress. We are and we will get there."
Touching on the controversial Rwanda plan – sending illegal migrants to third countries – Sunak backed the plan, saying it will bring a decline in English Channel crossings.
"Now I'm confident that once flights start going regularly to Rwanda, the boats will stop coming."
According to official data, a record 45,756 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in 2022.
- Full-life terms for 'sexual and sadistic murders'
The British prime minister described some crimes as "so heinous," emphasizing that those who commit these crimes should spend the rest of their lives in prison.
"So I can confirm that we will legislate for sexual and sadistic murderers to carry a full life term with no prospect of release," he added.
Following his proposal, Sunak said it should not be "controversial for parents to know what their children are being taught in school about relationships."
"We shouldn't get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be, they can't. A man is a man and a woman is a woman, that's just common sense,” he noted.
He also announced the cancellation of the rest of the HS2 (High Speed 2) project, which is a new high-speed railway that will serve as the backbone of Britain's transportation network. Because of the costs, only the new London Euston to Birmingham line will be built.