UK: Tobacco Battle Earns MP World Health Award

Source from:  This is Bristol 06/08/2013

BRISTOL West MP Stephen Williams has been named an "outstanding contributor" to tobacco control by the World Health Organisation.

The Liberal Democrat attended an award ceremony in the House of Commons yesterday where he was congratulated by Public Health Minister Anna Soubry, who also backed his campaign for plain packaging for cigarettes.

Mr Williams was nominated for the award by pressure groups Action on Smoking and Health and Smokefree Southwest in recognition of his advocacy for tobacco control since his election to Parliament in 2005, which includes playing a leading role in the campaign to persuade the Coalition government to introduce plain packaging of tobacco products.

Mr Williams said he was "absolutely delighted" to be recognised.

He said: "I have been campaigning for increased tobacco control since I entered Parliament in 2005, starting with the smoking ban and more recently the campaign for standardised packaging of cigarettes.

"I will use this World No Tobacco Day award to step up my fight to ensure the Government does all it can to protect our citizens from the harms of tobacco."

Smokefree Southwest director Fiona Andrews said: "Stephen Williams has been outstanding in making a powerful case for introducing toned down standard tobacco packaging to protect from alluring and glamorous packaging designs."

Last year Bristol-based Imperial Tobacco said it was determined to keep fighting plans to bring in measures curbing the advertising and display of its products. Enditem