MIAMI, United States — The Cuban government has urged the United Kingdom to exempt handmade cigars from the generational tobacco sales ban that will take effect on January 1, 2027, a diplomatic dispute inherited by Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, after authorities rejected including an exemption in the legislation. (The Telegraph; UK Government)
Cuban Ambassador to London Ismara Mercedes Vargas Walter and her counterparts from Honduras and the Dominican Republic have sent several communications to the British government since 2024 warning about the measure’s impact, according to diplomatic correspondence disclosed Sunday by The Telegraph. The existence of at least one of those letters, sent to then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer on October 20, 2025, is also documented in the official record of House of Lords debates.
The three diplomats argued that the legislation “could disproportionately affect cigar-producing countries through measures that are not justified by the evidence.” They also maintained that handmade cigars “neither contribute to the initiation of tobacco use among young people nor share the same public health profile as cigarettes.”
“We are therefore concerned that the current proposal does not adequately take this historical, cultural and economic dimension into account, and that its unintended consequences could amount to an unjustified barrier to trade,” states one of the communications signed by the ambassadors.
The letter examined by the House of Lords states that the industry collectively supports more than 400,000 people in the signatory countries, including women and small farmers in rural communities. “For our countries, the industry represents not only a source of decent employment and economic stability, but also a vital element of cultural heritage,” the diplomats argued.
The embassies also cited exemptions granted to cigars under previous British regulations. “There is a clear precedent for this approach (…) in previous tobacco-related legislation in the United Kingdom, where the unique characteristics of cigars have been recognized and proportionate exemptions granted. The rationale for those exemptions remains equally relevant today,” they argued.
The diplomatic efforts appear to have reached an impasse. A source familiar with the exchanges told The Telegraph that the latest letters had gone unanswered since mid-February. Diplomatic frustration reportedly increased after a communication addressed directly to Starmer was answered in late 2025 by a lower-ranking official at the Department of Health. Burnham, who has served as prime minister since July 20, inherited the dispute, and no direct response from his office to the embassies has yet been made public.
The Tobacco and Vapes Act received royal assent on April 29, 2026. The law does not impose an immediate ban on cigars for all adults. Instead, it makes it an offense to sell any tobacco product—including cigars, cigarillos, and pipe tobacco—to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009. The restriction will take effect on January 1, 2027, and will apply across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Several amendments were introduced during the parliamentary process to exempt handmade cigars, but the British government opposed them. Then-Health Minister Gillian Merron argued in February that “all tobacco products are harmful,” including those marketed as handmade or premium, and said that introducing exemptions would make it easier for the industry to exploit loopholes. The legislation as ultimately enacted kept cigars within the generational ban.
The controversy intensified on July 10, when the four UK administrations launched a consultation on extending to cigars the standardized packaging requirements already applied to cigarettes and rolling tobacco. The proposal calls for matte dark-brown boxes without logos or promotional images, with brand names displayed according to standardized rules governing typeface, size, and color.
The Department of Health said that no final decision has yet been made on this second package of measures. “We are currently consulting on standardised packaging requirements for all tobacco products, as part of our efforts to tackle a habit which remains the leading preventable cause of death, disability and illness in this country,” a spokesperson told The Telegraph. The consultation will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on October 2.
The United Kingdom is an important market for Cuba’s cigar industry. In its latest publicly released results, covering 2024, Habanos S.A. reported worldwide revenue of $827 million, up 16% from the previous year, and ranked the UK market fourth by sales value, behind only China, Spain, and Switzerland.
