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Ann McKechin MP: Parliament deserves a vote on plain packaging before the election

Former minister and Glasgow North MP Ann McKechin argues ahead of her debate today that time is running out for a 'promised' vote on plain packaging for tobacco products before parliament is dissolved. As the remnants of the Government’s legislative programme finds their way through the Commons before being timed-out in March, we can look back on the list of promises the Coalition has still failed to achieve in its nearly five years in power. One major reform on that list is the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes – despite almost three years of consultations and reviews and clear evidence to support regulation there has been a deafening silence. Why is the Prime Minister prevaricating? Hopefully the Government can answer that question during my adjournment debate on the topic this evening when I will press them to get serious about public health rather than bow down to the tobacco lobby. The need for the debate is simple: plain packaging works. Too many people suffer from diseases brought on by smoking, and too many young people are picking up the habit for the issue to be ignored until after the election – sadly my own city, Glasgow has one of the worst records for smoking related premature deaths in the country. Of those who take up smoking, only about half will manage to stop before they die. In Australia, where plain packaging legislation was introduced in 2012 and generic packaging before that, smoking rates have fallen dramatically. Daily smoking levels are at a historic low of 12.8%, and the average number of cigarettes smoked is now just 96 per week compared to 111 in 2010. Fewer young people are trying cigarettes in Australia, and those who still do are older than in the past. Opposition to plain packaging amongst the public also fell steeply after it became law. We need the same change in the UK. Time is running out. The Prime Minister must allow Parliament to vote on plain packaging regulations before the election. He must heed the advice of health professionals, 4000 of whom signed an open letter to the Guardian demanding urgent action, and ignore the protestations of his Australian spin doctor Lynton Crosby, whose tobacco-industry links are said to have scuppered the push for plain packaging in 2012 when the government pushed the issue into the long grass. Too many people are needlessly dying prematurely because of smoking and too many young people are still being hooked – let’s use the next few weeks to save lives and reduce the burden on our NHS. Is the PM listening? Ann McKechin MP is the MP for Glasgow North