Rishi Sunak's plan to ban young people from ever buying cigarettes is backed by two thirds of voters, new polling shows.

The PM's radical plan is designed to gradually phase out smoking. Two thirds (67%) of adults in England support the plans, according to a poll of 3,500 people.

Proposed legislation for England will make it an offence for anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, to be sold tobacco products. Only 14% said that they oppose the measure, according to the survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

The policy was backed by 74% of those who intend to vote Conservative at the next election, 72% of those intending to vote Labour, and 65% of those intending to vote for the Liberal Democrats. The results of the survey were released with a week left on the Government consultation for its proposals.

It comes after Downing Street confirmed the Prime Minister's crackdown on cigarettes remains "unchanged" after reports New Zealand will rescind its own anti-smoking laws. Mr Sunak's plan was seen as having been inspired by former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern's government.

ASH chief executive Deborah Arnott said: "This is not a party political issue in the UK, successive governments, backed by strong public and parliamentary support, have passed increasingly stringent tobacco regulations aimed at bringing the smoking epidemic to an end. The passing of the smokefree generation legislation promised in the King's speech, backed by increased investment to help adult smokers quit, can put us in pole position to achieve a smokefree future."

Henry Gregg, Director of External Affairs at Asthma and Lung UK, said: “New polling by ASH shows that the majority of people in the UK support proposals to create a smoke-free generation. This underlines the importance of the Prime Minister’s continued commitment to forge ahead with plans for the UK to ban cigarettes for the next generation by gradually increasing the smoking age, despite the announcement that New Zealand looks set to drop its plans to phase out smoking for political reasons."

But Simon Clark, director of the smokers' group Forest, warned the policy could mean people turn to illegal means of accessing cigarettes. "Banning the sale of tobacco to future generations of adults won't stop young people smoking. It will simply drive them into the arms of illegal traders and criminal gangs. If you're old enough at 18 to vote, drive a car, join the army, and purchase alcohol, you're old enough to buy tobacco," he said.