Labour ministers said there has been no planning or evidence base for Burnham’s policy to change the licencing laws for vape shops. Who could have guessed…
This is Burnham’s policy:
“The government will consult on removing vape shops from Class E and making them sui generis – “of its own kind,” – a standalone category that always requires a planning application. This would mean every new vape shop needs permission, giving councils real power to cap numbers or restrict locations, such as near schools.”
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook, responding to a parliamentary question on 16 July – mere weeks ago and four days before Burnham became PM – said:
“My Department has made no specific assessment of the ability of local planning authorities to prevent the reopening of vape shops, where no planning permission is required because the use remains within the same use class.
The ‘Commercial, business and service’ use class (Class E) encompasses a wide range of uses which attract people to high streets and town centres.
Separately, the sale of tobacco and vaping products is being regulated through the Tobacco and Vapes Act which provides powers for Ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce, within their respective nations, a licensing scheme for the retail sale these products.
The Department for Health and Social Care intend to consult on the new retail licensing scheme next year.”
Where does this leave the plan to licence every retailer of vapes pursued by DHCSC? Joined up government latest…
Anti-tobacco campaigners Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) have already criticised Burnham’s vape shop crackdown announced overnight. Chief Executive Hazel Cheeseman dismissed the plans as “a knee-jerk announcement”, saying “it’s hard to see how it will make a meaningful difference on vape shops”. Even Burnham deserves more credit than that…
Despite acknowledging vape shops “play an important role in helping adults to quit smoking”, ASH argues that “the vaping market needs much tougher regulation”, particularly to remove “the promotion of vapes from sight”. Seems to defeat the point…
Putting vapes in standardised packaging and removing them from retail displays does not help smokers trying to quit. Hilariously, ASH’s own 2026 Smokefree GB YouGov survey found that 54% of Brits wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as smoking…
Meanwhile, the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland says there are fewer than 250 full-time equivalent Trading Standards officers in that part of the UK, 60% of whom are over 50, while headcount fell by 30%. Retail licensing schemes – that could give enforcement bodies more tools – won’t even go to consultation until early 2027. What a mess…
Burnham’s radical Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is putting together her SpAd team. Guido presents their policy views – Miatta’s are well-known to co-conspirators…
Colm Britchfield has worked mostly at climate think tank E3G, where he specialised in energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation. Some of his positions:
Some co-conspirators will be aware of Carys Roberts, who used to run the left-wing think tank IPPR. She had a stint in Starmer’s policy unit before leaving in 2025. Her relevant positions here:
As a bonus, here’s some post-colonial wokery Roberts argued in a report:
“As policymakers seek to accelerate automation and the adoption of green technologies, they should also consider the impact on global communities. A transition which relies on exploitative labour in the global south and the unsustainable use of global resources and natural commons by countries such as the UK, with existing colonial and industrial debts, would not be a just transition… we may need to evaluate whether those technologies can be used, or if we need to find new technologies that use resources more efficiently.“
A problem for green tech there – anyone know where the cobalt, lithium, and manganese comes from?
Media Confidential, which apparently was the name of Prospect magazine’s weekly podcast hosted by Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber, is no more. It has now been cancelled by editor Philip Collins (not that one), who succeeded Rusbridger in the editor’s chair last year. Ouch…
Barber wrote on his Substack this week:
“Sadly, in a bid to save pennies, Prospect is cancelling the show. No hard feelings at my end. Phillip [sic] Collins, the ex Blair speechwriter, academic and new(ish) editor, is paid to make the right calls.”
It probably didn’t help that Barber managed to spell his own editor’s name wrong. No prospect of return…
Cambridge University Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice has announced the university will launch an investigation into the appointment of Jason Arday, as well as a review of its Misconduct in Research policy. The results will then guide a review into the appointment process for senior academic roles. Which would be helpful, to put it mildly…
Read Prentice’s full statement below:
Continue reading “Cambridge University Launches ‘Full Investigation’ Into Jason Arday Appointment”
Labour’s favourite left-wing think tank IPPR is boasting on X this morning about how many of its ex-personnel are now in government in leading positions. This is going to go well…
A huge congratulations to the IPPR alumni who are taking up new roles in government!
Wishing them all the very best in their new posts. Congratulations and good luck to:
👉 James Purnell, chief of staff
👉 Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, secretary of state for energy security and net…— IPPR (@IPPR) August 12, 2026
Starmer’s government was also stuffed with these IPPR types – some retreads are included in the above list. See how well that went…
The post has also revealed some new SpAd moves. Check the fully up-to-date definitive list at order-order.com/spads…
Lord Khan in the Telegraph: “I hope, and I say this in a non-pompous way, that the public service I do will bring rewards in this world and the hereafter,” he says. “I’m hoping the work I do is earning me Brownie points.”