Cigars could disappear from Britain’s shelves forever if a new “nanny state” crackdown comes to pass, tobacconists have warned.
Ministers are weighing up whether to force all cigars to be sold in plain packaging featuring graphic health warnings, like cigarettes.
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The move would outlaw centuries-old artwork found on traditional handmade cigar boxes and bands.
Around 120 small, often family-run businesses could be affected, with some warning the proposals will wipe out their trade entirely.
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James J Fox, the 140-year-old cigar shop which boasted Sir Winston Churchill was a loyal customer, is leading opposition to the plans.
Its director, Daniel Freeman, told The Telegraph: “From the day it comes in, we will become unprofitable.”
He argued that the expense of repackaging imported cigars would render premium products unviable, and that customers would simply shop abroad instead.
“Plain packaging will instantly kill the industry,” he said.
Jemma Freeman, the chairwoman of Hunters and Frankau, the sole UK distributor for Cuba’s Habanos SA cigar brands, said the move would “end this business in between three to five years”.
“It will be a total wipe-out,” she added.
Edie Sahakian, whose father escaped Iran during the revolution and established Davidoff of London in 1980, said the proposals would stop him handing the business to his children.
Mr Sahakian said: “If this plays out, there will be no business to pass on. It’s the end, it’s game over in the UK.”
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He added that the rules would force him to repackage millions of pounds’ worth of rare vintage cigars held in storage, making them “worthless” and putting him out of business.
Laurence Davis, who owns Sautter Cigars, warned that removing branding would fuel counterfeiting, saying Labour was “giving the world of cigar forgery the opportunity to just go wild”.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We are currently consulting on plain packaging requirements for all tobacco products, as part of our effort to tackle a habit that remains the single leading causes of preventable death, disability, and ill health in this country.”
“All stakeholders, including specialist tobacconists, have been encouraged to contribute to this consultation, and we will consider their responses carefully before any final decisions are taken.”
The consultation stems from powers granted under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, originally introduced by Rishi Sunak.
That received royal assent in April and bans anyone born after 2009 from consuming tobacco products.
But critics said plain packaging would effectively speed up the ban, and further wound an industry which tends to cater to older customers anyway.
Sir Winston would be “turning in his grave” at the proposals, James J Fox’s Mr Freeman said.
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