© Alex Segre/AlamySmokers' choice: cigarettes on display in a shop.
The government is to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes in England after a review of the evidence concluded that thousands fewer children would take up smoking if the packets were unbranded and less attractive.
The public health minister, Jane Ellison, told the House of Commons that the Chantler review, commissioned by the government after it postponed a decision on plain packs, "makes a compelling case that if standardised packaging were introduced, it would be very likely to have a positive impact on public health".
She said she would be introducing draft regulations "so it is crystal clear what we intend", and would announce the details shortly. There will still be a consultation, however, which some campaigners regretted as a cause of further delay.
Ellison said her particular concern was the take-up of smoking by children, and this was the issue Sir Cyril Chantler was asked to focus on in his review. Each day in the UK around 60 children start smoking, and many of those are likely to grow up with a nicotine addiction they find hard to break. If smoking take-up were reduced by 2%, 4,000 fewer children a year would develop the habit.
Ellison said the chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, had seen the report and backed the proposal to introduce plain packs within England's devolved health administration.
The government postponed a decision on plain packaging last summer, provoking a political storm when it emerged that a lobbying company run by David Cameron's election adviser Lynton Crosby had helped a major tobacco company with its marketing strategies.
Public health campaigners were delighted by the findings of the review and welcomed the government's response. Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said: "The Chantler review has backed a significant step towards a healthier future for the UK's children. We're very pleased the government will now move forward and lay out draft regulations on standardised packs. This should happen as quickly as possible. We have the evidence and the overwhelming support of parliament, the health community and the public. No more time should be wasted.
"Every day hundreds of children are lured into smoking - an addiction that kills and causes at least 14 different types of cancer. Children find the brightly coloured and slick designs of today's packs appealing."
Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: "We believe that Sir Cyril is absolutely right in identifying that standardised packaging will help discourage children from taking up smoking. We now look to the government to take heed of Sir Cyril's review and ensure that legislation on plain standardised packaging is implemented at the soonest possible opportunity."
Professor John Wass, academic vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians, said it was delighted by the news, although "it is disappointing that we will have to wait for the results of yet another consultation, but we hope this will be swift and not impede the introduction of regulations in this parliament. We are one step further towards a tobacco-free UK."
Daniel Torras, managing director of Japan Tobacco International UK, said: "Nothing has changed since last summer when the prime minister said 'there isn't yet sufficient evidence for it and there is considerable legal uncertainty about it'. The Chantler report explicitly references the 'limitations' of the evidence presented by a small group of tobacco control lobbyists."
A spokesperson for British American Tobacco said: "We are disappointed to hear that Sir Cyril Chantler has concluded that plain packaging could be an effective measure for public health ... despite recognising 'there are limitations to the evidence currently available'.
"Therefore, based on the evidence included in Sir Cyril's report, the conclusion that plain packaging is an effective measure for public health defies logic. We urge the ... government to look at the data from Australia, where after one year it is clear the plain packaging experiment has failed."
Let's start with the principal that it is illegal to sell cigarettes to minors ... what difference is the packaging going to make
Are we meant to expect child proof medicine type tops to bottles of wine etc.
I've changed cigarette brands recently due to pricing - but is smoking higher tar, cheaper cigarrettes really healthier? - I doubt it ... as it is I am not allowed to know whether the cigarettes are "mild" as that also encourages kids to go down the boozer and buy a few packs
We are also expecting to be forced to buy cigarettes in packs of 20 ... as otherwise there will be loads of kids running around spending £5 to buy packs of 10 .... and no menthol cigs as we all know how kids loive those
It really is the ultimate statement of the nanny state when they introduce rules for adults based on how they percieve those rules might affect kids behaviour
Surely they need to also banned flavoured condoms ... if we didn't have cherry or banana flavoured ones I'm sure the UK would not have the highest rate of under-age pregnacy in Europe