The Business Secretary said the Tobacco and Vapes Bill would mean ‘people born a day apart will have permanently different rights’.
Kemi Badenoch has become the first Cabinet minister to reveal she will not back Rishi Sunak’s proposal to ban young people from ever smoking, in a blow to the Prime Minister’s authority.
But Ms Badenoch and other high-profile Tories’ dissent highlights discontent with Mr Sunak’s leadership and posturing for the leadership as his party languishes in the polls ahead of the upcoming general election. Ms Badenoch, who is seen as a leadership favourite among Tory members, added: “We should not treat legally competent adults differently in this way, where people born a day apart will have permanently different rights.
The intervention by serving ministers comes after several senior Tories, including former prime minister Liz Truss, said they would not back the Bill due to concerns about freedom of personal choice.
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