Rishi Sunak's proposed cigarettes ban has cleared its first parliamentary hurdle as 383 MPs voted in favour of the Prime Minister's plans.
The House of Commons approved the second reading of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to phase in a ban on the sale of tobacco products for people born after 2009.
It would mean children aged 15 or younger today will never legally be sold a cigarette in England.
However, backing from Labour masked the scale of resistance, with 57 Tory MPs - including six Government ministers - actively opposing his plans. Another two Conservatives acted as tellers for the 'Noes', effectively taking the numbers to 59.
Many more abstained, with nearly half the Parliamentary party - 165 MPs - failing to support the legislation.
Rishi Sunak's proposed smoking ban cleared its first parliamentary hurdle tonight as 383 MPs voted in favour of the Prime Minister's plans. However, 57 Tory MPs - including six Government ministers - actively opposed his plans, while many more abstained from voting
The Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch voted against Rishi Sunak's ban on smoking today
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman also voted against Rishi Sunak's ban on smoking today
Some of the significant Tory MPs who voted against the Bill include Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch and ex-Cabinet ministers Suella Braverman, Sir Simon Clarke, Robert Jenrick, and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Other notable Noes came from Reform MP for Ashfield Lee Anderson and the Workers Party of Britain MP for Rochdale George Galloway.
Some Tory MPs decided to not vote at all including the Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, and ex-defence secretary Ben Wallace.
Even Chancellor of the Exchequer and former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt abstained from voting.
All of the Tory MPs who voted against the Bill or abstained from voting done so without the fear of being sacked due to Mr Sunak's move to make the issue a 'conscience vote'.
Some 178 Conservatives supported the Bill according to the list, alongside 160 Labour MPs, 31 SNP MPs, 5 Liberal Democrats, 3 Plaid Cymru MPs, 2 independents, and the Alliance Party's Stephen Farry.
