Labour replaces tobacco ‘warning’
On Monday, the Tobacco Retailers’ Alliance were not best pleased that their conference stand in Brighton had been placed beneath a sign saying The Killers.
It was advertising a forthcoming show by an indie band and was clearly, the group believed, not a deliberate attempt to undermine their campaign against tobacco smuggling and tougher restrictions on the display of cigarettes in corner shops.
But still, pointed out one of the Alliance representatives on the stand, “it is not very helpful”.
Now – less than 24 hours later – The Killers sign has been replaced by the conference organisers with a Labour Party banner.
No one on the Tobacco Retailers stand wanted to talk about why the sign had been changed or even if they had asked the organisers to do something about it.
But they seemed a little happier than they were on Monday. All very strange.
They will no doubt be hoping that Labour takes a similar line when MPs vote next month on whether to force retailers to keep cigarettes hidden from view beneath shop counters to discourage teenagers from taking up the habit.
Although given the government’s long track record of tobacco control, they shouldn’t hold their breath.
