Smoking causing record numbers of cancers in the North East

The Conservatives introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would mean anyone born from 2009 onwards would be banned from buying cigarettes. It also aims to make vapes less appealing to children.

The charity wants Labour to proceed with the bill. Opponents have expressed concerns about freedom and creating a tobacco black market.

Breast cancer is now included by Cancer Research UK as a cancer type caused by smoking. The charity is confident in the evidence showing that smoking causes around 2,200 cases of breast cancer every year in the UK.

This means that tobacco causes 16 different types of cancer. The biggest increases have been seen in liver, throat and kidney cancer, where UK cases caused by smoking have doubled over the last 20 years.

However, lung cancer still has the strongest link to smoking, causing 33,000 cases each year.

The charity says smoking is now responsible for an estimated 2,700 cancer cases a year in the region, with around 264,000 people in the North East still smoking.

The figures have been released as the UK hits an all-time high of an estimated 160 cancer cases per day caused by smoking, an increase of 17% since 2003.

Cancer Research UK wants to bring back the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the King’s Speech on July 17.

Their spokesperson for the North East, Lisa Millett, said: “Right now, thousands of people in the region are diagnosed every year with cancer that was caused by smoking. That’s thousands of families’ lives changed forever by an illness that could have been prevented.

“Smoking has no place in our future. Raising the age of sale of tobacco products will be one of the biggest public health interventions in living memory, establishing the UK as a world-leader.

“It’s vital that this Bill is re-introduced at the King’s Speech, passed and implemented in full so the impact of smoking is consigned to the history books.”

Supporters can still join the Turning Point for Cancer campaign at cruk.org/actnow.