David Cameron should do the right thing and support standardised tobacco packaging

Shadow Health minister Luciana Berger calls on the Government to support standardised tobacco packaging and explains why it is a child protection issue. There are very few things that a Government could do tomorrow that would help save hundreds of thousands of lives and improve the health of millions of people across our country. Introducing standardised packaging for tobacco products is one of them. That’s what the House of Commons is debating today. Smoking remains by far the largest preventable cause of cancer and over 100,000 people die from smoking-related diseases every year. Millions more across Britain endure unhealthier and unhappier lives due to the harmful effects of smoking. But this isn’t just a general public health concern. This is a child protection issue. Because it’s not adults who start smoking – it’s children. More than 200,000 children take up smoking every year according to Cancer Research UK and eight out of ten smokers start before the age of 20. Today alone, around 570 young people will have lit up for the first time. It’s true that as a society we have made great strides in tobacco control in recent years. The last Labour Government pursued a comprehensive strategy that brought about a real change in attitudes towards smoking in this country. We introduced the smoking ban in enclosed public spaces, put graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging, ended tobacco sports sponsorship and banned billboard advertising. The effects have been significant. In just a decade the proportion of children who smoked fell by half and the number of smoking adults came down by a quarter – a total of 2 million fewer smokers. That is the kind of leadership we need from government if we are to win the struggle to protect young people from the dangers of smoking. But we have much more to do. That’s why it was such a huge disappointment when ministers postponed legislation to introduce standardised packaging for tobacco products last July. Standardised packaging would make all cigarette packs look the same. Branding, design and logos would be removed. Only the health warnings, covert markings (which enable enforcement officials to distinguish counterfeit cigarettes) and the brand name in a standard font would remain. This approach is proven to make smoking less attractive – especially to young people. The Department of Health’s own review showed that the evidence is overwhelming. It makes health warnings more effective, reduces myths that some brands are ‘safer’ than others and can make existing smokers more likely to think about quitting. It’s the type of measure we need, especially as the tobacco industry has become far more sophisticated in marketing their products with glamorous and enticing packaging, including the newer perfume-shaped boxes. Even Andrew Lansley, the former Health Secretary, acknowledged that “the evidence is clear that packaging helps to recruit smokers” and that “it’s wrong that children are being attracted to smoke by glitzy designs on packets.” Yet a few months ago, the Government announced that it wanted to “wait and see” what happens in Australia, where tobacco packaging was standardised in December last year. This despite the Government’s then Public Health Minister saying she was “personally persuaded” of the case for introducing it in the UK. But if we do “wait and see,” as many as half-a-million children will have taken up smoking by the end of 2015 in the time since the Government decided to u-turn. That’s why we cannot afford to delay. We can’t stand idly by and watch future generations fall into the clutches of a product that is highly addictive, seriously harmful and clinically proven to kill. That’s why Labour has tabled an amendment to the Children & Families Bill currently making its way through the House of Lords. That amendment is due to be debated over the coming weeks and it will be voted on over the coming months. It has the support of all the leading public health charities and medical professionals. If passed, it will make standardised packaging a reality and make a real difference in improving the health and lengthening the lives of people all over the UK. It’s time for David Cameron and his government to do the right thing, listen to what the experts are saying and support that change. Luciana Berger MP is the Shadow Minister for Public Health