Vapes

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Coverage on 2026-10-01 reported that a new tax on vaping products came into force across the UK that day. The duty adds £2.20 per 10 millilitres of e-liquid. The stated aims reported by 5 were to make vaping less attractive to children and young people; ITV1 reported the aims also covered non-smokers and helping to get illicit vapes off the streets. Both channels said customers may not see an immediate price rise because sellers have six months to sell old stock at the pre-duty price. ITV1 reported additional measures and projected prices. It said a 50 millilitre duty-free maximum applies to vaping liquid for personal use brought into Great Britain, and that duty on cigarettes is rising by 44p per pack of 20 to maintain the price difference from smoking. It gave examples that a typical 10 millilitre bottle of e-liquid currently on sale at £2 would become £4.65, while a £16 larger bottle would become £30.53. 5 reported that the vaping industry lobbied against the tax and argued that vapes help people quit smoking. ITV1 reported that ASH has supported this kind of tax, with its chief executive saying it could remove very cheap products that children can buy and improve border controls for products that do not meet UK standards. ITV1 also reported that Plymouth had recently been found to be the vaping capital of the UK and included views from vapers and non-vapers there.

Key Claims by Channel

Thursday 20 August 2026

Claim
Reported by all 2 channels
Vaping is associated with breathing problems, poor sleep, and mental health issues in young people.
Vaping is associated with adverse effects during pregnancy, including abnormal reflexes and low weight gain in babies.
The government has banned single-use vapes and will ban advertising and sponsorship from next year.		Reported by BBC One
The report said vaping could act as a gateway to smoking.	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
The government is consulting on proposals to restrict packaging that appeals to children.	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
Report authors recommended the government go further by limiting available vape flavours.	Reported by BBC News

Wednesday 26 August 2026

Claim
Reported by all 3 channels
A review reported higher quit rates among smokers using vapes (10 in 100) than those using nicotine replacement therapies (6 in 100).
Reported by a few · 2 channels
A review found no evidence of increased serious harm from using vapes to quit smoking.	Not reported by Channel 5
Vaping is not risk-free.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One
The authors of the report said unregulated vapes can be hazardous.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC News
Only on one channel
It is illegal to sell vapes to people under 18.	Not reported by Channel 5		Not reported by BBC One
The review analysed 80 trials involving nearly 30,000 participants.	Not reported by Channel 5		Not reported by BBC One
A separate report showed that vaping by children and young people created health problems, including breathing issues.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One
The report said further evidence is needed about newer types of e-cigarettes.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One
The review was described as the largest review of e-cigarettes.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One

Thursday 1 October 2026

Claim
Reported by all 2 channels
A new UK tax on vaping liquid came into force today, aimed at reducing vaping among children and young people.
The tax adds £2.20 per 10 millilitres of vaping liquid, with a six-month period allowing sellers to sell old stock at the pre-duty price, so prices may not rise immediately.
Only on one channel
The vaping industry lobbied against the tax, arguing that vapes help people quit smoking.		Not reported by ITV
The tax is also intended to make vaping less appealing to non-smokers.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by ITV
The government says the measures are also intended to help remove illicit vapes from the streets.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by ITV
A typical 10 millilitre bottle of e-liquid selling for £2 could rise to £4.65, while a £16 larger bottle could rise to £30.53.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by ITV
A new 50 millilitre duty-free maximum applies to vaping liquid for personal use brought into Great Britain.	Not reported by Channel 5
Duty on cigarettes is rising by 44p per pack of 20 to maintain the price differential.	Not reported by Channel 5
ASH has long called for a tax of this kind to remove cheap products available to children and to increase border controls on products not meeting UK standards.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by ITV
Plymouth was recently found to be the vaping capital of the UK.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by ITV
A school uses a vape sensor in student toilets to detect vaping.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by ITV

This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.