Smokers will be forced to pay for a licence to buy tobacco under plans to reduce tobacco-related deaths presented to ministers.

The permit, which could cost as little as £10 a year, will include the smoker’s photograph and would need to be presented to the retailer every time the smoker bought tobacco. Holders of permits could also have to get a declaration signed by their GP that their health was not at “massive risk” from their habit before the licence was issued.

The proposal to make Britain’s 25 million smokers buy a permit for their habit has been drawn up by Health England, the national reference group for health and wellbeing, for the Department of Health. It is being considered by Lord Darzi, the Health Minister.

Julian Le Grand, the chairman of Health England and a former senior policy adviser to Tony Blair, said that the permit would help many smokers to break their addiction if they had to make a decision to “opt in” to smoking. However, the proposals were condemned by pro-smoking groups, who said that it would encourage people to buy smuggled tobacco.

In a paper written for Lord Darzi, Professor Le Grand said: “Suppose every individual who wanted to buy tobacco had to purchase a permit.

“And suppose further that they had to do this every year. To get a permit would involve filling out a form and supplying a photograph, as well as paying the fee. Permits would be issued only to those over 18 and evidence of age would have to be provided. The money raised would go to the NHS.”

Simon Clarke of the smokers’ rights group Forest said: “We are becoming not just a nanny state but a bully state. If smokers are targeted in this way it’s a very short step to slapping a similar charge on anyone who wants to buy alcohol or any other product ministers don’t approve of.”

Kevin Barron, the Labour chairman of the Commons health committee, said: “The answer is to get more people into smoking cessation programmes which have had a big boost since the ban on smoking in public places came in last year.”

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the GP representative on the British Medical Association’s public health committee, said asking doctors to approve a smoker’s right to buy tobacco would be “unworkable”.

Martin Dockrell, policy manager at the anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said: “There is no need to bully the minority who are happy smoking when most smokers are ready and trying time and time again to quit. We need a comprehensive strategy on smoking, It’s not about the next clever idea from a think-tank.”

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: “We will be consulting later this year on the next steps for tobacco control.”

Professor Le Grand said last night: “It is based on the idea of libertarian paternalism.

“Those people who are determined to smoke won’t be put off but 70 per cent of smokers want to give up. Changing the default position so that you have to make an active decision to do something can lead to a significant impact.”

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