A report in The Sun this morning, which the paper is claiming as an exclusive, claimed that the Prime Minister has been persuaded by the argument that so-called plain packaging legislation would damage the packaging industry.
Cameron is understood to initially have been in favour of plain packaging for tobacco products, as has already been introduced in Australia.
Today’s Sun quoted a Whitehall source as saying: “Plain packaging may or may not be a good idea, but it’s nothing to do with the Government’s key purpose.
“The PM is determined to strip down everything we do so we can concentrate all our efforts on voters’ essentials. That means growth, immigration and welfare reform.”
The potential introduction of legislation has been the subject of heated debate for several years, with health and anti-smoking campaigners arguing that plain packaging will cut smoking rates.
Many in the packaging sector, however, have argued that the move would open the door to more counterfeit packaging, while tobacco companies have lobbied hard on the argument that any move would create unfair damage to their brands.
Mike Ridgway, who acts as spokesman for seven companies involved in packaging manufacturing for the tobacco industry, said: “We are encouraged that this [dropping of the proposals] may be the case and that our arguments about counterfeiting and the illicit trade have been heard.
“The packaging industry plays a major role in combating counterfeiting by complexity and technical innovation backed up by financial investment and it appears that the Prime Minister acknowledged the damage that will affect the packaging industry in the article in The Sun should the proposal with pain packaging go ahead.
“The packaging industry believes that the proponents of plain packaging have no evidence on which to base their position and would greatly potentially harm young people by seeing unregulated cigarette sales being made through unregulated retail sales outlets.”
