Tobacco control is pushing hard to get plain packaging across the line if and when MPs vote next week.

A 'media briefing' issued by ASH yesterday claims the "public backs key tobacco control law".

Opinion polls have repeatedly shown strong public support for standardised packaging. An annual survey (“Smokefree Britain”) conducted by YouGov found that in the East of England 65% of adults polled supported the policy of requiring tobacco to be sold in plain standardised packaging with the product name in standard lettering, with only 10% opposing.

No doubt there are similar briefings for every region.

In response Forest released this response:

No public desire for plain packaging say campaigners

Campaigners opposed to plain packaging of tobacco products have rejected claims there is strong public support for the measure.

Simon Clark, director of the smokers' group Forest which runs the Hands Off Our Packs campaign, said:

"According to a Populus poll published last month the public doesn't view the government’s plain packaging proposals as a priority.

"The public wants parliament to prioritise tackling immigration and terrorism, not plain packaging of cigarettes.

"Plain packaging legislation is an ill-judged sideshow and a distraction from the real challenges the government faces before the end of this parliament."

He added:

"Two-thirds of respondents to the government's 2012 consultation, which attracted over 665,000 responses, and 99 per cent of responses to last year's consultation, opposed plain packaging.

"Given that level of opposition it's scandalous the government is pressing ahead with the policy."

There's more detail on the Forest website here: No public desire for plain packaging say campaigners.

Btw, this is what I had to say at our recent event at the Institute of Directors: