UK lawmakers back landmark bill to gradually phase out smoking for good

By SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — A plan by Britain’s government to introduce a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking has cleared its first hurdle in Parliament despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party. The bill will make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009. It is widely supported by health experts and the opposition Labour Party, but Sunak faced rebellion from more libertarian-minded members of his party. Authorities say that if passed, the bill will create modern Britain’s “first smoke-free generation.” The legal age of sale will be gradually raised until it is eventually illegal for the whole population.