A BID to ban young people from ever being able to legally smoke tobacco has cleared its first House of Commons hurdle.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s proposal was successful last night, Tuesday, despite a swathe of Conservative MPs objecting to it in a blow to his authority.

MPs voted 383 to 67 to give the Tobacco and Vapes Bill a second reading.

The legislation, seen by the Prime Minister as a key part of his long-term legacy, would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009, with the aim of creating a ‘smoke-free generation’.

Both Conservative Warrington South MP Andy Carter and Labour Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols voted in favour of the plans.

Ms Nichols said: “I voted in favour of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to outlaw selling cigarettes to the next generation, and to crack down on vapes being marketed to appeal to children.

“I believe this will have a hugely significant impact on disease prevention and reducing premature deaths, giving the generation behind me the chance to be a smoke-free one, as smoking rates continue to reduce dramatically for my generation and those ahead of me compared to even a few decades ago.”

Mr Cater commented: “I supported legislation that will create a smoke-free generation by preventing anyone born after January 2009 being sold a cigarette and taking powers to clamp down on the worrying rise of youth vaping.

“The size of the prize here is a big one. Smoking is still the number one preventable cause of death, disability, and ill health, causing around 80,000 deaths per year across the UK.

“Creating a smoke-free generation will cut the number of cases of strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other lung diseases by 470,000 by 2100.

“There are also powers in this Bill to reduce the attractiveness of vaping to children.

“While vapes can be an effective quit tool for adult smokers, we know that youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and one in five children have now tried a vape.

“Vapes are being deliberately targeted at children to get them addicted early to nicotine, and we have to stop that.”

The bid does not criminalise current smokers, but is aimed at preventing the harms caused by smoking, the leading causes of preventable illness and death in the UK.

Conservative MPs were given a free vote on the Bill, meaning those who voted against the Government’s position will not face punishment.

This allowed serving ministers, including Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, former PM Liz Truss and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman to oppose the Bill on grounds of ‘personal freedom’.

The division list showed 57 Conservative MPs voted against giving the Tobacco and Vapes Bill a second reading, while 178 voted to support it.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting confirmed Labour’s ‘wholehearted’ support to the Bill, and added his party is ‘only too happy to defend the Health Secretary against the siren voices of big tobacco’ gathered on the Tory benches.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said she understood colleagues’ concerns about freedom of choice, and conceded Conservatives were ‘not in the habit of banning things’, but warned the Commons there was ‘no liberty in addiction’.

“Nicotine robs people of their freedom to choose. The vast majority of smokers start when they are young, and three-quarters say that if they could turn back the clock they would not have started,” she added.