We must stamp out black market cigarette trade before Budget

Every time someone buys a packet of dodgy cigarettes down the pub, they're not just cheating the taxman. They're cheating the local shopkeeper who plays by the rules, the NHS that picks up the bill for smoking-related illness, and the public services we all rely on.

It's theft in plain sight, dressed up as a bargain. We've got a problem that no one in Westminster wants to talk about. Black market tobacco has exploded over the last decade. You can buy a pack for a fiver in some towns, while the same legal pack costs more than double on the high street.

That difference doesn't vanish into thin air. It funds organised crime - one leading criminology expert has called the networks behind the supply of illegal cigarettes the "golden thread for understanding serious organised crime", because of its links to people trafficking and, in some cases, illegal immigration.

We need to be smashing the gangs here and abroad. They are a scourge on our country, allowing a continual stream of illegal immigrants from abroad and a blight on our high streets. We now live in a country where billions are being stripped from being spent on hospitals and schools and going straight into the pockets of criminals.

With the Budget approaching, we need to be realistic - this problem isn't going to be fixed by further increasing the tax. Common sense tells you it will just lead to more people smoking cheap, under-the-counter cigs. If the Chancellor bumps up the duty on cigarettes, it will only make the crooks rub their hands with glee. The higher the price, the bigger the gap for smugglers to exploit.

By the time we reach the Budget in November, if we don't get serious about enforcement, the black market will keep growing, the legal trade will keep shrinking, and the boats will still come.

This is where I have to declare an interest. As a former smoker, I know from first-hand experience the benefits of quitting. But I believe passionately that everyone should have the right to make that decision for themselves.

The problem here is that the cost of a legal packet of cigs is so high that instead of pushing people to stop smoking, we are pushing regular, ordinary people to the black market. Indeed, an ounce of tobacco is now more expensive in a shop if purchased legally than an ounce of silver.

It also further fuels the sad decline of our high streets - already fighting for survival. Honest business owners being undercut day after day by illegal sellers who don't care about age restrictions, quality control, or the law. And when a corner shop goes under, it's not just the cigarettes that vanish - it's the groceries, the newspapers, the friendly face behind the counter who knows your name. All to be replaced by a Turkish barber shop or an American candy store.

It is time we stop turning the other way. As we fight for our country, that means fighting for our high streets. Local authorities and trading standards are drowning under the scale, and gangs know it. We need real resources for enforcement, proper penalties that hurt, and coordination between police, border forces and councils. Second, we must support the small shops that do things right. Let them be part of the solution - reporting dodgy traders and helping stamp out illegal sales.

Cracking down on black market cigarettes won't solve everything, but it could bring in billions that are currently bleeding out of the Treasury. That's money for hospitals, schools, and policing. Money that right now is being funnelled into the shadows.

With the Budget looming, this is a test of political will. Do we side with the gangs who peddle cheap fags, or with the honest shopkeeper trying to keep the lights on? Do we keep pretending it's someone else's problem, or do we admit that the black market is robbing this country blind?

It's time we showed some guts. Ahead of the November Budget, let's stop feeding the crooks and start backing the people who play fair. That's not ideology. That's just common sense.