Angela Rayner has been accused of hypocrisy after being photographed vaping on holiday while Labour prepares sweeping new restrictions on vapes.
The images, published in The Sun newspaper, show the Deputy Prime Minister relaxing in an inflatable dinghy with a vape in hand. Rayner has previously admitted she is a regular user, even joking in 2023 that her children called her a “vape dragon.”
The latest pictures have triggered criticism from within the vaping sector, which argues Labour’s stance risks undermining more than a decade of progress in reducing smoking rates through harm reduction.
Restricting access for millions of adults
VPZ, the UK’s largest vape retailer, said the images highlight a glaring contradiction in government policy. A spokesperson told Planet of the Vapes:
“Angela Rayner herself has chosen vaping as an alternative to smoking, which we fully support, however, Labour’s proposals threaten to restrict access to these products for millions of adult smokers across the UK who are trying to quit.”
Labour has set out plans to impose new curbs on flavours, packaging, marketing and the placement of vaping products in shops. Ministers insist the measures are needed to combat the sharp rise in youth vaping.
But industry voices, including VPZ, warn that overly broad restrictions could produce unintended consequences by driving some adults back to cigarettes and fuelling a black market in unregulated devices.
Since David Cameron’s coalition government first promoted vaping as a tool to reduce smoking in 2011, the UK has been seen internationally as a leader in harm reduction.
Jeopardising decline in smoking rates
Public Health England and other health bodies have repeatedly stated that vaping is at least 95 per cent less harmful than smoking tobacco. Advocates fear the UK could now reverse this position just as smoking rates reach record lows.
VPZ said: “Restrictive policies that make products less appealing or less accessible for adults could jeopardise this progress, pushing many people back towards cigarettes – the very outcome the Government seeks to avoid.”
The company stressed it is not opposed to stronger safeguards. It has long backed proportionate regulation, including tougher enforcement of underage sales, stronger penalties for retailers who break the law, and the creation of a licensing scheme for specialist vape stores.
But it warned that Labour’s plans, as drafted, could punish responsible businesses, put thousands of jobs at risk and strip away options for adults trying to quit smoking.
Jamie Strachan, Operations Director at VPZ, said the Rayner photographs underline “the clear contradiction in the Government’s approach.” He added: “If vaping, in its current form, is good enough for Angela Rayner, it’s good enough for millions of other adults who are trying to ditch cigarettes.
“Restricting flavours, packaging and availability will do little to address youth access – but it will punish adult smokers, stifle legitimate businesses, and fuel the growth of the black market.”Other well-known figures known to vape include Kate Moss, Simon Cowell, Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry, Richard Hammond, Katie Price and Kylie Jenner.
