Well, we always said plain packaging had more to do with politics than public health.
According to the Daily Telegraph's chief political commentator Peter Oborne, the issue is currently a topic of hot debate behind the scenes in Westminster:
See: Plain cigarette packaging is the coming issue that could split the Coalition (Telegraph)
Personally I find it remarkable that Oborne should have to ask that question. Perhaps, in the first year or two of the Coalition, the politics of the situation may have forced the PM to bend on issues like this.
But now?
With a year to go before the General Election, why should Cameron give the Lib Dems anything, especially if it means upsetting a substantial number of Tory backbenchers and creating unnecessary division within the party?
A firm refusal to implement plain packaging is such an obvious opportunity to put clear blue water between the Conservatives and the more nanny state minded parties I can't believe Cameron won't grab it with both hands.
This is no longer about keeping the Coalition together – a perfectly honourable ambition in 2010 – it's about winning the next General Election.
The question I would put to Cameron is this: it's all very well being the leader of a Coalition government, but how much do you want to be the leader of a Conservative government?
Plain packaging may not seem a big deal to many people but what it represents speaks volumes about the politicians who support it.