Smokers' rights group Forest says the consultation on plain packaging "threatens to be a farce".

"Hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money has been spent in one region alone trying to persuade people to support plain packaging," said Simon Clark, director of Forest. "Government is effectively using taxpayers' money to lobby itself. This scandalous abuse of public money must stop now.
"The consultation on plain packaging has nothing to do with health. It's all about Andrew Lansley. The health secretary is using the consultation to curry favour with health professionals, many of whom are less than impressed with the changes he is making to the NHS."
Clark said plain packaging is another step towards the denormalisation of a legal product. "It is yet another attack on ten million adult consumers."

Forest, which runs  the Hands Off Our Packs campaign, urged consumers and retailers to make their voices heard and help defend Britain from excessive regulation.
Forest (Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco) is supported by BAT, Imperial Tobacco and Gallaher, a member of the Japan Tobacco Group. (ci)