Simon Hart

Simon Hart has been the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire (Wales) since May 2010.

Relationship with the Tobacco Industry

Accepted Tobacco Hospitality

In May 2014, Hart accepted two tickets to the Chelsea Flower show worth £1,404.00 from Japan Tobacco International (JTI).¹

For more information on the tobacco industry tactic to offer hospitality to those with influence over the passage of tobacco laws, go to Tobacco Industry Hospitality for UK Politicians.

Opposed Tobacco Control Measures in the UK

Voted Against Amendments to Children and Families Bill 2014

In February 2014, Hart was one of only 24 MPs who voted against tabled amendments to the Children and Families Bill which would enable the UK government to:²

1. Introduce regulations requiring plain packaging for tobacco products;

2. Introduce regulations making it an offence to sell e-cigarettes to children under 18;

3. Make it an offence for an adult to buy cigarettes for anyone under the age of 18 (proxy purchasing).³⁴

The Bill passed with 453 MPs voting in favour of the amendments.

Against Plain Packaging

In 2014, Health Minister Jane Ellison announced in the House of Commons that the Government would conduct a second consultation on plain packaging.⁵
During the House of Commons debate on 3 April 2014, Ellison received questions from a number of MPs, including Hart. The MP stated: “The minister will be aware that it is already an offence to smoke in public under the age of 16 and to purchase tobacco under the age of 18. Would it be a good start to ensure that the current laws work before we start imposing new ones?”⁶

Ellison referred Hart to the Chantler Review stating:

”The Government are seeking to consider all measures that have an impact on children taking up smoking in the first place, and many of our laws and measures are beginning to bear fruit as smoking is at its lowest ever level in this country. Every child who takes up smoking is one child too many, and I urge Members to read Sir Cyril’s report and examine the evidence and what he says about the pressures on children. When Members have reflected on that, I hope they will join me in supporting any measure that can make an impact in this area.”

Two years earlier, Hart was one of 50 MPs who wrote to then Health Secretary Andrew Lansley expressing serious concerns over the government’s plain packaging proposals.⁷

“There is no reliable evidence that plain packaging will have any public health benefit; no country in the world has yet to introduce it. However, such a measure could have extremely negative consequences elsewhere. The proposal will be a smuggler’s charter. … this policy threatens more than 5,500 jobs directly employed by the UK tobacco sector, and over 65,000 valued jobs in the associated supply chain. … Given the continued difficult economic climate, businesses should not be subjected to further red tape and regulation”

TobaccoTactics Resources

• Japan Tobacco International
• Tobacco Industry Hospitality for UK Politicians
• Plain Packaging in the UK

Relevant Link

Profile of Simon Hart on TheyWorkForYou website.