UK launches consultation on plain vape, tobacco packaging

The UK government and devolved administrations have launched a major public consultation on proposals to introduce plain packaging and strict display restrictions for vaping and tobacco products, aiming to curb their appeal to children and young people. The 12-week consultation, announced on July 10, 2026, seeks views on measures that would treat vapes more like cigarettes, including keeping them out of sight in shops and standardizing their appearance.

Key proposals for vaping products include restricting devices to only three colours: white, black, or grey. Packaging would be plain, with limitations on text colour, imagery, and branding, while flavour descriptions would be simplified to single, recognized terms like "apple." Names linked to confectionery, desserts, or alcohol would be banned. The plans also call for vapes to be stored behind sales counters, similar to existing rules for tobacco.

For tobacco, the consultation proposes extending plain packaging requirements and health warnings to all products, including cigarette rolling papers, cigars, and heated tobacco devices. It also suggests inserting quit-support messages inside cigarette packs and removing exemptions...