Price of packet of 20 cigarettes set to pass £16

The average price of a packet of 20 cigarettes is set to soar past £16 for the first time after Jeremy Hunt upped tax in today’s Budget.

The Chancellor announced he is raided smokers and vapers as he sought to recoup £500million of the money he is paying out in a cut to national insurance.

Before the tax increase the mean cost of a packet of 20 stood at £15.26 in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Vapes are being targeted in a bid to reduce the rate of underage vaping. In January shocking stats show a quarter of children have tried puffing on the nicotine-laden gadgets and one-in-10 is a regular user.

It sparked fears of a future health crisis given the mystery surrounding the long-term safety of e-cigarettes.

The duty on vapes will not come in until October 2026 and there will be a consultation on the level. Mr Hunt told MPs he would put up the cost of tobacco alongside it to maintain ‘a financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking’ on halth grounds.