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Tobacco giant warned of loss of jobs in UK before packaging rules were dropped, and anti-smoking camp also cites possible fear of Ukip.
Anti-smoking campaigners have accused the government of caving in to pressure from the tobacco lobby and running scared of Ukip after plans to enforce the sale of cigarettes in plain packs failed to make it into the Queen's speech.
Minutes released by the Department of Health show that one of the industry's leading players had told government officials that, if the move went through, it would source its packaging from abroad, resulting in "significant job losses."
Cancer charities and health experts were expecting a bill to be introduced last week that would ban branded cigarette packaging, following a ban introduced in Australia last December. At least one health minister had been briefing that the bill would be in the Queen's speech. But the bill was apparently put on hold at the last minute with the government saying it would be a distraction from its main legislative priorities.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/may/04/cigarette-lobby-plain-packs
Anti-smoking campaigners have accused the government of caving in to pressure from the tobacco lobby and running scared of Ukip after plans to enforce the sale of cigarettes in plain packs failed to make it into the Queen's speech.
Minutes released by the Department of Health show that one of the industry's leading players had told government officials that, if the move went through, it would source its packaging from abroad, resulting in "significant job losses."
Cancer charities and health experts were expecting a bill to be introduced last week that would ban branded cigarette packaging, following a ban introduced in Australia last December. At least one health minister had been briefing that the bill would be in the Queen's speech. But the bill was apparently put on hold at the last minute with the government saying it would be a distraction from its main legislative priorities.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/may/04/cigarette-lobby-plain-packs