I have in my hand an invitation to attend the Smoking Still Kills report launch at the House of Commons later today.
It's not addressed to me, obviously, although I did email the organisers (ASH) to ask if I could go. (I'm waiting for a reply.)
I've seen the press release but media stories are "strictly embargoed until 00.01 Wednesday 10 June" so all I can tell you is that today's parliamentary launch will be hosted by Bob Blackman, Conservative MP for Harrow East and Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, and other speakers will include:
Don't expect too many smiles when they convene. Arnott is hardly a ray of sunshine at the best of times. She was in Warsaw at the weekend, attending the Global Forum on Nicotine, and a little bird tells me her mood never lifted from the moment she arrived.
Kumar may be feeling a little bruised today. A Sun investigation, published yesterday, revealed he was paid between £230,000 and £240,000 last year. In my book that's nothing to be ashamed of but people can be funny about charities and salaries. However thick-skinned you are, it's probably not the sort of information you want emblazoned across the front page of Britain's largest selling tabloid newspaper.
As for Kellner, he too took a kicking recently, but if you thought a professional pollster might adopt an impartial position on an important topical issue such as this, prepare to be disappointed. He made his views very clear in 2008 when ASH published 'Beyond Smoking Kills'. I wrote about it under the headline: Peter Kellner, YouGov and ASH.
The biggest question mark however concerns Jane Ellison. What is she thinking?!
It's one thing to listen and observe but I'm amazed a government minister would speak at the launch of what is certain to be a contentious report by a partisan pressure group whose principal purpose is to lobby government.
Actually, I'm not amazed at all. We've come to expect this sort of thing from successive governments and, let's face it, the difference between ASH and the Department of Health is cigarette paper thin. I'm only surprised they don't share an office.
As Ellison herself tweeted a few months ago, Deborah Arnott is effectively part of the furniture. See Minister's "dedicated DH team" includes CEO of ASH.
Coming up … Major new poll released today shows that the public believes anti-smoking laws have gone far enough.