Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Illegal tobacco is estimated to cost the UK around £2 billion a year in lost tax revenue, while undercutting legitimate retailers and providing a lucrative market for organised crime.
Sarah Connor, UK director of communications at JTI, Rohan Pike, an international illicit trade expert and former police officer, and Andrew Boff, Conservative chair of the London Assembly, join The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons to discuss how illegal tobacco is affecting Britain’s high streets. They examine whether rising tobacco duties and new regulations are pushing consumers towards the black market; what Britain can learn from Australia, where the legal tobacco market has been ‘given up’ to criminals; and whether stronger enforcement, higher fines and better support for trading standards can protect honest shopkeepers.
This podcast is sponsored by JTI, with editorial control retained by The Spectator.
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Illegal tobacco is estimated to cost the UK around £2 billion a year in lost tax revenue, while undercutting legitimate retailers and providing a lucrative market for organised crime.
Sarah Connor, UK director of communications at JTI, Rohan Pike, an international illicit trade expert and former police officer, and Andrew Boff, Conservative chair of the London Assembly, join The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons to discuss how illegal tobacco is affecting Britain’s high streets. They examine whether rising tobacco duties and new regulations are pushing consumers towards the black market; what Britain can learn from Australia, where the legal tobacco market has been ‘given up’ to criminals; and whether stronger enforcement, higher fines and better support for trading standards can protect honest shopkeepers.
This podcast is sponsored by JTI, with editorial control retained by The Spectator.
// SUBSCRIBE TO THE SPECTATOR
Get 12 issues for £12, plus a free £20 John Lewis/Waitrose voucher
spectator.co.uk/tvoffer
// FREE PODCASTS FROM THE SPECTATOR
Hear more from The Spectator's journalists on their podcasts, covering everything from the politics of the UK, US and China, to religion, literature, lifestyle and more.
spectator.co.uk/podcasts
// FOLLOW US
twitter.com/spectator
facebook.com/OfficialSpectator
linkedin.com/company/the-spectator
instagram.com/spectator1828
tiktok.com/@thespectatormagazine
