The bill still needs to be decided upon by the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the Parliament, followed by a detailed debate in its third reading before returning to the lower house for final approval. Despite significant resistance within the ruling Conservative Party's faction, final approval is deemed certain as the bill is fully supported by the main opposition force, the Labour Party. The draft law, which was introduced last autumn by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, will criminalize the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.

The legislation sets the starting birth year as 2009, meaning that each year the minimum age of those who cannot legally access tobacco products increases incrementally.

As a result, the current 15-year age group will never reach an age at which they can legally purchase tobacco products, considering that the current UK regulations already prohibit the sale of tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18. In the long term, this will extend the sales ban to the entire population.

Following the general debate in the second reading, the bill passed with 383 votes in favor against 67 opposing votes on Tuesday night. ONCE FINALLY ADOPTED, THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE WORLD'S STRICTEST ANTI-SMOKING LAWS.

According to data from the National Health Service (NHS) in Britain, smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths: annually, 80,000 death cases are directly linked to illnesses caused by smoking, and a quarter of cancer cases are also due to smoking. NHS statistics indicate that nearly every minute, a patient who has fallen ill due to smoking is admitted to British hospitals.

This bill represents the most significant anti-smoking initiative in the UK since the previous Labour-led government in 2007 banned smoking in all enclosed public spaces, including workplaces, public institutions, and eateries.