Cigarette machine ban facing backlash

Government plans to introduce a ban on cigarette vending machines in pubs are facing a major political backlash.

The vending machine ban is among a series of proposals - mainly aimed at discouraging children from taking up smoking - which include: outlawing the display of cigarettes in shops, removing logos from packets and stopping the sale of packs of 10.

A government consultation on the proposals, launched in June, is reported to have received 100,000 responses.

However, a senior Conservative and Liberal Democrat have come out against the plans, while 87 MPs have signed a parliamentary motion raising concern at the proposed display ban in shops.

Mike Penning, Tory shadow health minister, told the BBC Politics Show: "Vending machines are very expensive and there's no evidence of children actually buying from vending machines.

"If they are, we need to look at the licensees because they (vending machines) are all inside licensed premises. I think it's a red herring."

Norman Lamb, the Lib Dems' health spokesman, argued moving sales away from shops would be "counter-productive" and could lead to a rise in the trading of foreign bootleg cigarettes.

"It would take it out of controlled settings, such as shops, and into pubs where literally people are buying their tobacco across the pub table," he said.

Nick Bish, chief executive of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, previously warned that a vending machine ban would mean pub customers having to leave the premises, risking the chance they would not return.

Health Minister Dawn Primarolo is expected to announce her response to the consultation in the next few weeks.