Rishi Sunak’s Striking Agenda: Scrapping A-levels, Banning Cigarettes, and Cutting HS2 to Secure Election Success

In a move that mirrors the law in New Zealand, a new legislation has been proposed to ban the sale of cigarettes to anyone aged 14 or younger. This means that this age group will never be able to purchase cigarettes legally. Existing smokers, on the other hand, will not be affected by this ban. Chancellor Rishi Sunak, while acknowledging the challenge for a Conservative to support such restrictions, emphasized that there is no safe level of smoking, highlighting the detrimental impact on public health and the burden it places on the National Health Service (NHS). He emphasized the importance of preventing teenagers from taking up smoking in the first place, stating that the proposed changes provide an opportunity for future generations to grow up smoke-free.

The proposed legislation has faced immediate opposition, with former Prime Minister Liz Truss among those expected to vote against it. Some Conservative MPs have deemed the ban “ludicrous” and “completely unenforceable”. However, health campaigners have welcomed the plans, including former Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who commended Sunak for being on the “right side of history”. The Labour Party, which had already put forward a similar ban proposal, announced its intention to support Sunak’s legislation. Civil liberties groups, however, criticized the plan as “preposterous, illiberal”, and “unconservative”. The exact timing of the vote in Parliament has yet to be determined.

Introducing the “Advanced British Standard”

In addition to the cigarette ban, the Prime Minister revealed plans to replace A-levels and T-levels with a new qualification called the “Advanced British Standard”. Under this new system, students will typically study five subjects in their final year of school, as opposed to the current three. Mathematics and English will become compulsory for all students until the age of 18. Teenagers will have the freedom to choose a combination of subjects from both academic and technical options, categorized as majors and minors.

It should be noted, however, that the transition to the Advanced British Standard will take at least a decade to fully implement. The first cohort expected to undertake this qualification will likely be those who have just started primary school. To support this transition, Chancellor Sunak announced an initial investment of £600 million over two years. This funding will be used to lay the groundwork for the new system, including provisions for tax-free bonuses of up to £30,000 for teachers in key shortage subjects during the first five years of their careers. Additionally, there will be an increased emphasis on teacher-student interaction, with an extra 15% increase in taught hours for most 16-19 pupils, bringing the country closer to international norms.