Government looks set to miss smoke-free target
The warning comes from Cancer Research UK
The Government looks set to fail on its ambition for England to be smoke-free by 2030, a leading cancer charity has warned.
Cancer Research UK said current smoking trends suggest it will be 2037 before England is smoke-free, and that smoking rates need to drop 40% faster than projected for the target to be hit.
The Government pledged last July to end smoking in England by 2030 as part of a range of measures to tackle the causes of preventable ill health.
Smoke-free means just 5% of adults in England will smoke - a dramatic reduction from the 14% who smoke at present.
Cancer Research UK said the ambition is being hindered by cuts to stop-smoking services and national campaigns, and the gap between the least and most deprived people in England.
It says the richest group in England can expect to be smoke-free in 2025, but the poorest will not be smoke-free until the mid-2040s.
Published: by Radio NewsHub