I would love to have been a fly on the wall at ASH HQ this morning.
Here's their response to today's report in the Sun: Plain cigarette packaging U-turn ‘shocking’, claim heath campaigners (Metro):
ASH CEO Deborah Arnott omits one key factor, of course. There is not a shred of credible evidence that plain packaging will reduce smoking rates or discourage children from smoking so all this nonsense about reducing deaths and improving health is exactly that – nonsense.
The Metro report also includes a quote from Forest, although it omits a key sentence. The full quote reads:
"We welcome the news, if it's true. Plain packaging has nothing to do with health. There is no evidence that it would make any difference to youth smoking rates but it could do enormous harm to small businesses, especially in the packaging industry, and help drive illicit trade."
"We’re pleased that the prime minister has apparently recognised this and has listened to the hundreds of thousands of people who expressed their opposition to standardised packaging in the government consultation."
The government is going to come under enormous pressure over the next few days. Let's hope ministers hold their nerve.
The fact that Labour is urging David Cameron to change his mind ought to persuade him that he has made the right decision, if indeed he has made a decision.
Watch this space.
PS. Someone has rightly pointed out that Metro's headline is inaccurate because the Government could only be accused of doing a U-turn if it had already made a decision to introduce plain packaging, and the PM announced weeks ago that it hadn't.
Update: Government denies scrapping plan for plain tobacco packs (The Grocer).
Perhaps that should read 'Department of Health denies scrapping plan for plain tobacco packs'!