Councils to get more powers to stop vape and betting shops, PM announces

New vape shops will require planning permission and councils will get more powers to stop betting shops, under government plans aimed at improving high streets.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said town centres had been "hollowed out" by decades of decline and "for many people, the high streets they grew up with have become unrecognisable".

BBC News has exposed organised crime on high streets across the country, revealing shops selling illegal cigarettes and vapes, selling cannabis and cocaine, enabling illegal working and suspected money-laundering.

The Conservatives and Reform said the proposals would lead to "more empty" shops, without tax relief for other small businesses.

Burnham said the measures will give councils more power to control what businesses open in town centres.

The proposals come as the prime minister embarks on a tour of the UK, with Downing Street saying he will be in "listening mode" during his visits as he works on a "10-year plan to bring back hope".

Changes to planning law which would mean every new shop selling e-cigarettes, or vapes, would need to apply to their local council for permission to open (England only)

Tightening the definition of a vape shop to prevent businesses avoiding the rules by describing themselves as a general convenience store or retailer (England only)