Watch: MPs discuss and vote on landmark bill to create smokefree generation

Watch as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would prohibit the sale of tobacco to people born after 1 January 2009 and restrict sale of vapes, is debated in parliament on Tuesday 16 April.

MPs discussed and voted for the first time on government plans to stop young people from ever smoking.

Rishi Sunak sees the bill as a key part of his long-term legacy as he bids to “stamp out smoking for good”.

However, the prime minister is set to face opposition to the legislation from within his own party.

The bill has attracted condemnation from senior Conservatives including former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, who argue it impacts upon people’s freedoms.

England’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, has rejected those “pro-choice” arguments and suggested resistance to the plan was “surprising”.

Mr Sunak granted his MPs a free vote on the issue later on Tuesday.

The proposal cleared its first Commons hurdle, despite a swathe of Conservative MPs objecting to it in a blow to the PM’s authority.

MPs voted 383 to 67, majority 316, to give the Tobacco and Vapes Bill a second reading.