内容摘要：Almost 37,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats in 2024 but the highest figures were for 2022, when 45,755 people arrived.

Almost 37,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats in 2024 but the highest figures were for 2022, when 45,755 people arrived.

Disposable vapes have been cited as a key driver in the rise in youth vaping, while every week five million vapes are thrown away.Ministers predict it will have a significant impact but health experts say further regulation is needed to tackle youth vaping.

Retailers in England and Wales breaching the ban face a £200 fine for the first offence with potentially unlimited fines or jail for those who repeatedly re-offend.The ban was first announced for England and Wales by the previous Conservative government but the law was not enacted before last summer's general election.Labour then pushed ahead with it.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have introduced their own bans, timed to coincide with the one in England and Wales.Vape use has risen rapidly over the last decade with 9% of the British public now buying and using e-cigarettes.

Latest figures suggest about one in four vapers use the disposable versions, although that proportion has fallen since the ban was announced.

And while it is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18, disposable vapes, often sold in smaller, more colourful packaging than refillable ones, have been cited as an important factor in the rise of youth vaping.The IFS said the government had "front-loaded" its spending over the course of the parliament term in the first couple of years, which meant spending would slow down. "The consequences of this decision must be confronted," the IFS warned.

When it comes to daily spending on public services, the think tank suggested a "huge amount depends on the generosity" of cash handed to the NHS - which accounts for 39% of day-to-day departmental spending - as well as defence.NHS spending is planned to be £202bn in 2025-2026, the IFS said, which could pull funding from other areas as the government prioritises reducing patient waiting times and improving access to dental care.

"Increasing health funding at anything like the historical average rate would mean imposing real-terms cuts on other 'unprotected' departments," the think tank said.It said this would prove challenging, especially given the government's ambitions to improve the criminal justice system and to deal with prison overcrowding.