Campaigners brand tobacco u-turn a 'disgrace'

Julia Day
guardian.co.uk, Monday June 18 2001 14.45 BST

Anti-smoking pressure groups have reacted furiously to a government u-turn on banning cigarette advertising.

The Queen's Speech on Wednesday June 20, which sets out forthcoming legislation, is expected to drop any reference to the tobacco advertising and promotion bill.

The anti-smoking lobby has called the u-turn "an utter disgrace", "a bitter blow for UK doctors" and "intensely disappointing".

The bill was to have introduced a ban on cigarette advertising from billboards, newspapers and magazines and ended tobacco sponsorship for sports events.

But it failed to pass into law during the last parliament due to lack of time and now looks to have been scrapped.

The tobacco advertising ban was a Labour party manifesto commitment in both 1997 and 2001.

Following a failed attempt to introduce the legislation through the European Union, the bill was introduced in the Queen's Speech in December 2000.

"We can hardly believe this, and if it is true it's an utter disgrace... advertising is a key ingredient in persuading young people to smoke. It should be banned, and it should be banned without delay," said Gordon McVie, the director-general of Cancer Research Campaign.

Sir George Alberti, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, added: "We're astonished the government should fail to implement legislation which will help them meet their own targets for reducing smoking-related disease."

Anti-smoking group ASH has called for the government to reconsider its position before Wednesday.

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Tobacco advertising and sponsorship