Rishi Sunak has announced that he will be putting forward legislation for a "lifetime smoking ban". This would mean that the age for buying cigarettes will rise by one year every year and that anyone born after a cutoff date (possibly 1st January 2009) will never be able to legally buy cigarettes.

https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1709533739028492670

If these plans go ahead, 41 year olds will not be allowed to buy cigarettes in 2050 but 42 year olds will.

To become law, the legislation will have to clear three hurdles:

• Pass the House of Commons (speculation is that this will be a free, unwhipped vote)

• Pass the House of Lords (free vote since this was not a manifesto pledge)

• Receive Royal Assent (this should be a formality)

Will it pass all three hurdles before Parliament is dissolved for the next General Election?

Note - If the legislation is modified or amended so that the permenant automatic ramping up isn't in place to take the smoking age up to at least 50 without further legislation (eg. the legislation only lasts for a few years and then needs further legislation or the automatic ratcheting up only goes up to 30 rather than 50+), this market will resolve to NO

If you're wondering when the next General Election will be, take a look at this market:

/SimonGrayson/uk-general-election-which-month-in-6ab8406103dd