Draft regulations will be submitted shortly for a “final, short consultation”, before the government decides whether to join Australia in mandating plain packaging for tobacco products, said Public Health Minister Jane Ellison.

Ellison told the House of Commons she decided to draw up draft rules after reviewing a study commissioned by the government last November that concludes plain packaging should have a positive impact on public health, in particular on youth smoking. The report by Cyril Chantler, a pediatrician, followed a 2012 public consultation on plain packaging.
“Before reaching a final decision and in order to ensure that that decision is properly and fully informed, I intend to publish the draft regulations, so that it is crystal clear what is intended, alongside a final, short consultation, in which I will ask, in particular, for views on anything new since the last full public consultation that is relevant to a final decision on this policy”, Ellison said in her statement to Commons. “I will announce the details about the content and timing of that very shortly but would invite those with an interest to start considering any responses they might wish to make now. The House will understand that I want to move forward as swiftly as possible.”
Australia is the only country currently requiring standardised packaging for cigarettes and rolling tobaccos. Brand names appear in black type in prescribed fonts on olive-brown packs with large graphic warnings.