It is part of a crackdown on tobacco addiction by Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who enjoys a cheeky fag himself. A white paper in the spring aims to level up health with a world first by approving vapes.

The move comes after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved the gadgets late last year.

A Whitehall insider said: “Mr Javid has made it clear he wants to level up health — tackling smoking is part of that. The MHRA opened the door to prescribing vapes.”