A Big Thank You!
 As most of you will know MPs voted last week in favour of legislation to introduce plain packaging of tobacco in the UK from May 2016.
The BBC reported:
MPs have voted by a majority of 254 in favour of plain packaging of tobacco. Some 367 were in favour with 113 against in the free vote.
See MPs back standardised cigarette packaging. It includes this quote from Simon Clark, director of Forest:
"Consumers are fed up being patronised by politicians of all parties. Smokers know there are health risks associated with tobacco. Plain packaging won't make any difference. What next? Standardised packaging for alcohol and sugary drinks?"
Although the vote was lost, 104 Conservative MPs voted against the policy, including several government ministers, with 122 Tories in favour. They were joined by three Labour MPs (who defied the party whip), two Liberal Democrats, both Ukip MPs, and two members of the DUP.
For a full list of names go to:
The Conservative MPs who defied a Conservative-led government
See also: The Tory MPs who sided with Labour
Yesterday peers rubber-stamped the legislation without a vote following a debate in the House of Lords. Newsweek has the story, again with a quote from Forest:
Director of Forest Simon Clark, a UK-based media and political lobbying group that opposes smoking bans and discrimination against smokers and runs a Hands Off [sic] campaign against plain packaging, says the ban is “gesture politics” on behalf of David Cameron’s Conservative party and “a distraction [from] what really matters to people”.
According to a poll commissioned by Forest last month, parliament should “prioritise tackling immigration and terrorism, not plain packaging of cigarettes”.
“We're fairly disgusted that the government, after two public consultations, have ignored the public,” he says. “This is a policy built on the fallacy that packaging helps stop children smoking, but there is no evidence kids start smoking because of the packaging. Evidence points to peer pressure or the influence of family members who smoke.”
He accuses the government of “gold-plating” EU policy, citing a raft of new measures introduced in the revised EU Tobacco Products Directive, such as the increased size of health warnings on packets, which renders this bill pointless.
He says his organisation would have supported a much bigger clamp down on shopkeepers who sell cigarettes to under 18s and a ban on ‘proxy purchasing’ (adults buying cigarettes and passing them on to children), believing this more “practical”.
He adds: “If I was in the food and drink industry I’d be concerned about this development. We’re already hearing talk about restricting advertising for alcohol and packaging on other so called unhealthy products like fatty or sugary food. There’s a much bigger issue here than just tobacco.”
Full report: UK passes law to require plain cigarette packaging (Newsweek Europe)
Although the outcome is a big disappointment after three years' campaigning, we're encouraged that so many Conservative MPs voted against the measure, and that fewer than half of all Conservative MPs voted in favour.
It gives us something to build on.
So to everyone who backed our eventful (!) campaign by signing our petition or writing to their MP (and even the Prime Minister):
Thank you for your support!
To download Hands Off Our Packs: Diary of a political campaign click here or on the image above.
Sleeve of the DVD sent to MPs before the vote in the House of Commons.
To view the video click on the image.
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