The House of Lords gave final parliamentary approval to plain packaging for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, setting the stage for implementation next May, the official record shows.
Standard packaging law initially will apply to England. However Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to adopt the measure. The UK would become the third country to adopt plain packaging, behind Australia and Ireland.
Earl Howe, who represented the health department in the Lords debate, said: “These regulations propose to standardise the retail packaging of all cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco. Cigars and pipe tobacco are not currently covered by the regulations. The regulations specify mandatory colours for those parts of the packaging that are not taken up by health warnings or duty marks. The outside of packs will have to be a uniform dull brown and the insides plain white. The brand name of the product may appear but must be in grey with a fixed size and typeface. This means, in effect, that no branding will be allowed except for the brand name. “