Public Health Minister Jane Ellison said a proposal requiring plain packaging for tobacco products would be put to a parliamentary vote before the May general election, according to government and media accounts.

Ellison told the House of Commons the vote would come before Parliament adjourns in April, the BBC said. Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would need to consent to plain packaging in their regions, the Health Ministry said.
Ellison planned to push for UK implementation of standardised packaging at the same time the revised EU Tobacco Products Directive comes into force in May, 2016, the Ministry said.
“Having considered all the evidence, the Secretary of State and I believe that the policy is a proportionate and justified response to the considerable public health harm from smoking tobacco. The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed this view”, Ellison said.