BAT said that the UK government will face a “huge fight” from the tobacco industry if it moves ahead with plans that would only allow cigarettes to be sold in plain, unbranded packages. 

Imperial Tobacco called the proposal a "counterfeiter's charter" while British American Tobacco (BAT) said it would play "right into the hands of the very criminals they seek to clamp down on."
In response to the Department of Health’s plans to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes, BAT said today: "If the Government tries to introduce plain packaging it will have a huge fight on its hands. Brands are valuable corporate assets and the Government risks breaching various legal obligations relating to intellectual property rights, international trade and European law.
"It would also set a dangerous precedent for brands owned and used by other industries. Packaging is fundamental to consumer choice in a competitive market. Manufacturers, retailers and consumers must be able identify and distinguish products."
The company further states that "there is no meaningful evidence to suggest that plain packaging would cut the number of young people smoking, nor encourage people to quit – as ministers have admitted on many occasions. Studies to date are speculative – at best quoting opinions of how people might or might not behave. Good policy demands a rigorous evidence base." (ci)