Cigarette packet branding to face consultation - BBC News

12 April 2012 Last updated at 23:49 ET

The government is considering plans to strip all branding from cigarette packs sold in England in a bid to make smoking appear less attractive.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley told The Times the government did not work with tobacco companies as it wanted them to have "no business" in the UK.

He said 5% of 11 to 15-year-olds were regular smokers and the habit led to nearly 100,000 deaths in the UK yearly.

The government is to launch its consultation on the issue on Monday.

'Black market'

In an interview with the newspaper Mr Lansley said he was open-minded but he believed attractive packaging helped recruit smokers from a young age.

More than 300,000 children aged under 16 in England try smoking each year, according to government figures.

The consultation will also examine if plain packaging could lead to a rise in cigarette packets being sold on the black market.

Mr Lansley said the tobacco companies used certain colours to trigger memories and their brands constituted a type of advertising.

"We don't want to work in partnership with the tobacco companies because we are trying to arrive at a point where they have no business in this country," he added.

Profits boost

The consultation document is expected to suggest that branded tobacco packets create "smoker identity", with certain brands seen as "cool" and "popular", the paper reported.

It is also expected to say that tobacco firms use colours and logos to boost their profits.

Plain cigarette packaging is due to be tested in Australia later.

The packets will be a dark olive green colour after the public was asked what the least attractive colour was.

This is the latest step in the UK government's bid to stop people from taking up the habit.

Last week, a ban on tobacco displays in England came into force, with large shops and supermarkets now forced to keep cigarettes and other products out of sight.