The Guardian newspaper on September 22 quoted British government sources as saying that Prime Minister Sunak is considering anti-smoking measures similar to the law announced by New Zealand last year, including banning the sale of cigarettes to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.

“We want to encourage more people to quit smoking and achieve our ambition of becoming a smoke-free nation by 2030. That is why we have taken steps to reduce smoking rates,” a UK government spokesperson said in an email response to the newspaper.

These include a program to distribute free vape kits (a type of electronic cigarette) or a voucher program to encourage pregnant women to quit smoking, the spokesperson added.

The policies under consideration are part of a new consumer-focused push by Chancellor Sunak's team ahead of next year's election, according to The Guardian .

In May, London announced it would close a loophole that allowed retailers to give away free vape samples to children in a campaign to clamp down on e-cigarettes.

By July, councils in England and Wales had called on the government to ban the sale of single-use vapes on environmental and health grounds.