In light of a new report from the Institute of Health Equity that suggests that health disparities and life expectancy gaps are growing in the UK, it’s time to think about what policies can remedy this dire situation.

Smoking harm reduction is a cheap and effective way to reduce health inequalities. So why do Keir Starmer and Labour not see it as an opportunity to help the people they’re always telling us they care so much about?

Let’s take a look.

Labour set for power

This image displays a colorful bar graph representing the current voting intentions in the UK as surveyed by Ipsos Political Monitor. The Labour Party leads with 44%, followed by the Conservative Party at 19%. The Liberal Democrats have 8%, the Green Party 9%, Reform UK 13%, and other parties combine for 6%. Notable changes from the previous month include a 3 percentage point drop for Labour, a 1 point drop for the Conservatives and the "Other" category, and increases for the Green Party and Reform UK by 1 and 5 points, respectively. The data is based on a sample of 1,072 British adults surveyed between April 3rd and 15th, 2024.

Despite strong polling numbers over the last few years, Labour has had a rough decade. To a large extent, it’s because they have lost the basic connection with the people they are supposed to represent.

Being cast into the political wilderness for a generation would be a fitting penance for turning their backs on the working people of Britain. However, an unlikely confluence of events means Keir Starmer is set to be next Prime Minister.

Conservative party sleaze, COVID-19 scandals, the cost-of-living crisis, and a property market that is out of reach for the average citizen have swung the advantage toward Labour.

As if that wasn’t enough, the SNP has imploded, too, giving Labour a chance to win back crucial seats north of England. As little as four years ago, those seats seemed to be lost forever. The stench of corruption, poor governance, and the disastrous and incompetent reign of Humza Yousaf will take some time for the SNP to come back from.

The image is a line graph titled "Recent Scottish opinion polls," tracking the popularity of various political parties in Scotland from December 2019 to November 2024. The lines represent different parties: Conservative (CON), Labour (LAB), Liberal Democrats (LIB), Reform, Green, and Scottish National Party (SNP). The SNP line, shown in orange, has consistently been the highest, indicating it has the most support among those polled. There are fluctuations in support for each party over time, with some gaining and others losing popularity. The graph illustrates the changing political landscape and voter preferences in Scotland over a five-year period.

The sad thing is that Starmer will just stumble into this position of power. It’s not like he has a vision for the country or a manifesto that everyone can agree on. He knows that this is a golden opportunity, and playing it safe is the best move for his party. Strategically, that’s fine. But I like democracy when the winner is the person who has the best ideas that work for the most people. I guess I’m old-fashioned like that.

What a Labour win means for smoking harm reduction

Sadly, the UK’s once lofty position as a leading light of smoking harm reduction has been squandered by Sunek and his advisors. That’s a great shame when we consider the UK’s smoking prevalence rate of 13% and the subsequent impact those figures will have on an already strained NHS.

In a different situation, with polls on a knife-edge, Labour may have been forced to differentiate themselves from the Conservatives by ensuring favourable conditions for alternative nicotine products. Instead, they’ve promised even harsher treatment, with Starmer questioning what took the Conservatives so long to act.

The Office of National Statistics has released figures for smoking prevalence in what they term deprived areas. Remember, national averages are 13%. However, when broken down by socioeconomic status, we get the following:

  • In the UK's most deprived areas, 24% of people over 18 smoked.
  • In the UK's least deprived areas, 6% of people smoked.

That’s a difference of 300%.

Any policy that hinders people in deprived areas from getting access to products that reduce smoking prevalence is an effective attack on working people and their health. The fact that this Labour government has failed to understand the impact of these policies is a symptom of the way it has drifted away from the principles.

Labour likes to make a big song and dance about their socialist principles. However, I don’t feel confident that reducing health inequalities is a big issue for them if they are blocking pathways that help people quit smoking.

Say what you like about disposables, but they are an effective alternative to smoking because they are so easy to use. Labour and the Conservatives are worried about a non-existent epidemic of teen use, while 1 in 4 people in deprived areas actually smoke.

The consequence of these disparities are:

  • Shorter life expectancy.
  • Poorer quality of life.
  • Higher rates of illness.
  • Reduced career opportunities through sickness.

Reducing smoking prevalence in these areas and the impact of these disparities should be a priority for any Labour party.

Final thoughts

Talk is cheap. Our actions and decisions say a lot more about how we are. If or when Labour takes power, we need to hold them to account for the things they say, and that includes reducing socioeconomic health disparities by supporting sensible regulations around pouches and vapes.