David Cameron must explain plain packaging broken promise
08 May 2013
Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Public Health Minister, urges Cameron to explain plain packaging broken promise: ‘This is deeply concerning, because behind all the chaos, confusion and dither, it’s clear that Lynton Crosby and the government’s friends in big business are pulling the strings, and public health is being quietly ditched by this government.
‘David Cameron needs to get out of the bunker and explain why the government is breaking yet another promise, and whether he was aware of his main campaign strategist's business interests when he offered him the job.
‘Smoking remains the major preventable cause of death and disability, and plain packaging leads to fewer people falsely believing that lighter colours are healthier than others. We need action, because marketing is known to pull children into smoking and the pack is just another marketing tool.’
She urged the government to build on the successes of the last Labour government:
‘The last British Labour government showed leadership in bringing about real change on tobacco control. We introduced the smoking ban in pubs and enclosed spaces, ended sports sponsorship and billboard advertising, raised the legal age of purchasing cigarettes and put graphic warnings on cigarette packs. But doctors are right to remind us that smoking it is still the single biggest preventable cause of early death and illness.’
--ENDS—
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