New research from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, shared with Guido, shows Sunak’s tobacco ban could lose the government £9 billion per year – equivalent to a 1p increase in the basic income tax rate and the higher rate, along with a 1% decrease in the personal allowance. The TPA have crunched latest figures from the OBR and found that, with a cost to the NHS and social care sector of about £3 billion, smokers are paying for themselves in full, and then some. Exorbitant tobacco duties are making sure of that…

Free market think tanks have already warned the black market will move to fill the hole created by Sunak’s new ban. Even if all smokers magically disappeared the net loss to the Treasury would be £6 billion. Equivalent to a 1% increase in the employee national insurance tax…

Meanwhile new polling commissioned by smoker-rights group Forest from Yonder Consulting finds 58% of respondents think if a person can vote, buy alcohol, drive a car, or have a credit card at 18, then they should also be allowed to purchase tobacco. Fewer than a third think 18-year-olds shouldn’t be able to light up…