The embattled American vape company Juul is pushing foreign governments to ditch strict e-cigarette regulations as it aggressively expands across the globe in an attempt to offset lost profits in the US.

Juul, which sells sleek e-cigarettes and flavoured nicotine “pods” that have become a craze among American teenagers, is planning to enter new markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America and Asia.

As it expands, the company has spent millions of dollars lobbying politicians in an attempt to pre-empt or roll back regulations on tobacco products, putting forward claims it cannot legally make in the US, the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism found...