The Regulatory Policy Committee declined a meeting request concerning impact assessments for government proposals on tobacco, vaping and nicotine-product packaging, device appearance and retail displays under the Tobacco and Vapes Act. Stephen Gibson, the committee’s chair, cited Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which requires governments to protect public policy from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. The committee directed comments on the consultation-stage impact assessments to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and said the correspondence and reply would be published on GOV.UK. The records differ on the requesting organization and original correspondence date: one identifies Hunters & Frankau Limited and 18 August 2026, while the other identifies the Association of Independent Tobacco Specialists and 31 August 2026.