The lobbying firm co-run by the man heading Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign has been writing to councils on behalf of a tobacco company before the announcement of planned new anti-smoking measures due in the coming weeks.
The Guardian has seen emails showing Crosby Textor Fullbrook Partners (CTFP) contacted councillors on behalf of Philip Morris, seeking to get the tobacco multinational involved in voluntary moves to curb cigarette smoking, as opposed to more onerous statutory efforts.
One of CTFP’s partners, Mark Fullbrook, has taken temporary leave from the firm to act as Johnson’s campaign manager. The lobbying efforts took place in April, while Fullbrook was still with the company.
While there is no suggestion that Fullbrook was personally involved in these actions, or that he is advising Johnson to adopt a similar line, it comes just over a week after Johnson called for a reconsideration of “sin taxes” on highly sugared drinks.
It later emerged that another arm of Crosby’s lobbying group represents a dairy firm in Australia which sells high-sugar milk drinks of the sort that could be targeted by an extension to a UK sugar tax.
CTFP states that Fullbrook’s role at the company has no bearing on his work with Johnson, and that he currently has no contact with clients.
But amid continued delays to a landmark government consultation on public health, expected to include tough new anti-smoking measures, campaign groups and Labour have urged the Johnson camp to commit to not watering down anti-smoking plans if he becomes prime minister.
They have also called on the health secretary, Matt Hancock, now a leading supporter of Johnson, to push ahead with the plans, which are expected to include a “polluter pays” levy in which tobacco firms would be forced to finance anti-smoking measures, and compulsory cards inside cigarette packets detailing the health perils.
The so-called prevention green paper, originally due in the first half of 2019, was scheduled to be released this week, but the Department for Health and Social Care says it does not have a confirmed publication date.
While CTFP does not say which firms it lobbies for, one email seen by the Guardian shows one of its lobbyists contacted a councillor on behalf of Philip Morris. The multinational company is best known for the Marlboro brand but is branching out into vaping and e-cigarette products.
Philip Morris representatives wanted to meet local public health officials, said the email, “to explain what they are seeking to do and in what ways they can help to reduce smoking rates in local areas”.
Another email was sent in 2018 directly by Philip Morris to the chief executive of an English council, also offering help on voluntary measures to help people quit smoking or shift to vaping-type products as part of efforts to reduce the smoking rate to less than 5% of the adult population, a key aim of the prevention green paper.
Tobacco firms have been pushing for such voluntary methods, rather than the statutory measures expected in the green paper.
While it is understood that Hancock remains keen on the measures, campaigners fear the document is being held up by other ministers, amid wider wrangles about using Theresa May’s last weeks in office to tie the hands of a future government.
Bob Blackman, the Conservative MP who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on smoking and health, said he was worried about the green paper being delayed.
“What we do know is it’s held up, and that’s the concern,” Blackman said. “And a hold-up would not be acceptable, given that we want to get on with the job of preventing people from killing themselves.”
Deborah Arnott, the chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), said the charity was urging Johnson “not to give in to any pressure to delay the green paper, or to remove the proposal for a charge on tobacco manufacturers to fund government’s anti-smoking measures”.
She continued: “This is popular with the public, including Conservative voters, but it’s not what the tobacco industry wants.
“Tobacco manufacturers and their lobbyists, like Crosby Textor Fullbrook, are urging cash-strapped local authorities to enter into voluntary partnerships instead, and say they want to support councils’ smoking cessation programmes when in reality it’s about promoting their own products.”
Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said: “This is potentially worrying given the links between Boris Johnson’s campaign and corporate lobbyists, especially after Johnson decided to water down restrictions on sugar.
“Matt Hancock, who has been working as a cheerleader for Johnson, must immediately reject any changes to the green paper which would weaken the fight against smoking.”
CTFP was contacted for comment. Johnson’s campaign declined to comment.