Westminster MPs have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the generational smoking ban, passing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill by 383 votes to 67.
The bill still has to clear several legislative hurdles but it is possible it could pass into law as soon as the second half of this year.
It means anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never legally be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco in the UK.
Health is a devolved matter, but agreement has been reached for a four-nation approach to tackling smoking. Scotland will be given the appropriate powers needed to enact the bill, but the Scottish Parliament will then need to give its consent via a vote in Holyrood.
The bill is thought to have been inspired by a similar law in New Zealand, which the country’s new government is now moving to overturn in a bid to fund tax cuts.
A similar repeal is unlikely to happen in the UK if there is a change of government at the next general election; the bill has the full support of the Labour front bench and 160 of the party’s MPs voted in favour of it.
Conservative MPs were given a free vote on the bill. In a bit of a slap in the face for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, around half didn’t support the proposals, with 57 voting against the bill and 106 abstaining.
The bill also includes measures to tackle underage vaping, with new restrictions on the display of vapes, packaging and flavours.
