Over 200 leading health professionals have called on the chancellor to invest in creating a smokefree UK.

In an open letter published by The BMJ today, health professionals warn that unless smoking is addressed, there is no prospect of delivering on Labour's manifesto commitment to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.

The annual cost of smoking to individuals, public services and the wider UK economy is £93bn, while the direct cost of smoking to the UK public finances in 2023 was £21.9bn, with a net cost of £13.5bn.

The letter was accompanied by new impact calculator published by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) allowing local NHS services to assess the value to their local systems of supporting smokers to quit as part of services established in the NHS Long Term Plan.

ASH estimates that if NHSE was investing in these services at the original planned level, the NHS could avoid a further £33m in costs from reduced admissions and other benefits of smokers quitting.

The letter says a ‘polluter pays' levy on tobacco manufacturers ‘could raise £700m a year for vital tobacco control activity in a way that would prevent companies from simply passing the cost on to consumers'.

The leaders add: ‘Dedicated long term funding is vital to deliver stop smoking support in hospitals and the community, national marketing campaigns, a robust illicit tobacco strategy, and targeted measures to reduce smoking rates in priority groups.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill - the biggest public health intervention in a generation, improving life expectancy and reducing the number of lives lost to the biggest killers.

'The Bill will put us on track to a smoke-free UK and stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.'